'Ahmad burned in front of the whole world,' says wife of Gaza journalist killed after Israeli strike

Sara Jabakhanji · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 10, 2025 3:09 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

WARNING: This communicative contains details of a antheral burning alive.

Nidaa Mansour was connected her telephone erstwhile she work a quality alert that an Israeli airstrike had deed a structure utilized by section media successful confederate Gaza, causing flames to erupt successful the tent.

She frantically called her husband, Ahmad Mansour, a writer and exertion with quality bureau Palestine Today, who was working in the structure successful the confederate Gaza metropolis of Khan Younis at the time. She couldn't interaction him but learned that helium had been rushed to the hospital, though she was unaware of his condition. 

This week, footage of Mansour that appeared to amusement him being engulfed by flames as helium remained seated — astatine 1 constituent raising his hands — was wide shared connected societal media.

"Ahmad burned successful beforehand of the full world," Nidaa said astatine his ceremonial connected Tuesday. "The full satellite saw him arsenic helium was burning, and cipher was capable to assistance him."

Video shared online showed a antheral moving up to Mansour to try and pull his limb to get him out, portion others attempted to usage the small h2o they had to douse the blaze and flip blankets connected apical of him. People screamed successful fearfulness and disbelief arsenic they witnessed his assemblage become consumed by the blaze. 

"Dear God," 1 idiosyncratic yelled arsenic helium filmed.

CBC News has seen the footage and has chosen not to amusement it owed to its graphic nature.

Ahmad, 32, was rushed to infirmary successful captious information owed to the terrible burns helium suffered. He died successful infirmary a time later, connected Tuesday.

Journalist Helmi al-Faqawi, on with different man, was killed successful the Israeli airstrike connected the media structure successful the aboriginal hours of Monday, while 9 others — including Mansour — were wounded. The media structure was wrong a compound at Nasser Hospital.

Nidaa, 28, said she called her hubby connected Sunday evening, asking him to permission the country aft proceeding determination were airstrikes. He told her that helium would permission shortly, earlier the onslaught happened.

"He didn't return," she said. "I called him galore times. But helium did not prime up."

Mansour leaves down 3 children

When Nidaa arrived astatine Nasser Hospital successful Khan Younis, wherever Mansour was taken for treatment, she could not spot him.

"I [still] had immoderate anticipation that helium was inactive alive," Nidaa said. When she was allowed to sojourn her husband, she said his information was precise hard to witness.

At his ceremonial connected Tuesday, colleagues carried Mansour's body, wrapped successful a achromatic shroud, connected a aesculapian stretcher with his bluish flak overgarment placed connected top. His woman knelt adjacent to his assemblage reciting the Qur'an, arsenic dozens of others gathered astir him, including his 2 sons, aged 1 and 6, and a five-year-old daughter.

WATCH | Nidaa Mansour speaks astatine her husband's funeral: 

In a associated connection connected Monday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) said they launched an onslaught successful that country connected Hassan Abdel Fattah Mohammed Aslih (Eslayeh), alleging that helium was a subordinate of Hamas's Khan Younis Brigade who was posing arsenic a journalist. They did not supply proof. 

The connection alleges he documented and uploaded footage of looting, arson and execution during the Hamas-led attacks connected Israel connected Oct. 7, 2023, to societal media.

CBC News reviewed Aslih's Instagram relationship but did not find the posts. Ismail al-Thawabta, manager of the Gaza authorities media office, said Israel's accusations against Aslih were "false," adding that Aslih had nary governmental affiliation.

Other journalists killed

The onslaught connected the media structure came a time aft Islam Meqdad, different journalist, was killed along with her hubby and child.

Mansour's decease connected Tuesday raised the fig of journalists killed successful Israel's Gaza run since October 2023 to 211, according to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate. 

In a connection connected Monday, the U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned the attack.

"This is not the archetypal clip Israel has targeted a structure sheltering journalists successful Gaza. The planetary community's nonaccomplishment to enactment has allowed these attacks connected the property to proceed with impunity, undermining efforts to clasp perpetrators accountable," said CPJ Middle East and North Africa regional manager Sara Qudah.

"CPJ calls connected authorities to let the injured, immoderate of whom person sustained terrible burns, to beryllium evacuated instantly for treatment, and to halt attacking Gaza's already devastated property corps."

The IDF said it took "numerous steps" anterior to the onslaught to mitigate harm to civilians, "including the usage of precise munitions, aerial surveillance and further intelligence."

A ceasefire agreement betwixt Israel and Hamas in Gaza broke connected March 18 aft Israel resumed aerial and crushed attacks connected the war-torn territory, pursuing a 42-day archetypal signifier of the statement that mostly halted fighting. 

More than 50,000 Palestinians person been killed successful the Israeli violative successful Gaza, Palestinian officials say. Thousands much are believed to inactive beryllium nether the rubble, according to the Palestinian Civil Defence.

Israel began its battle aft thousands of Hamas-led gunmen attacked communities successful confederate Israel connected Oct. 7, 2023, sidesplitting 1,200 radical and abducting 251 arsenic hostages, according to Israeli tallies.