The family of Palestinian journalist Muhammad Abdel Aziz al-Najjar, who was killed in an Israeli strike in southern Gaza, has demanded accountability from the Israeli military, accusing it of killing an innocent man whose family depended on him for survival.

Al-Najjar was killed on September 30 in an Israeli drone strike in the Mawasi al-Qarara area, north of Khan Yunis, according to Palestinian media. Local sources said the attack came as Israeli forces continued shelling and firing across Gaza despite a ceasefire agreement with Hamas reached a year earlier.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) admitted to killing al-Najjar, but claimed he was a member of Hamas’ military wing and took part in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war. An IDF spokesman, cited by Israeli media, accused him of plotting attacks against Israeli troops and civilians and “working to rebuild Hamas’ military capabilities.”

His family’s account, however, differs greatly. In an exclusive interview with RT on Saturday, they described him as a journalist and religious teacher. His father, Abdelaziz, said al-Najjar worked as a field correspondent for Holy Quran Radio and was also a Quran teacher, preacher, and imam at the Ibad al-Rahman Mosque.

“I hold the Israeli army fully responsible for his death… He has done nothing wrong,” his mother, Asmehan, said. She described Muhammad, the eldest son, as the family’s backbone, saying his death has left them without the person they relied on for everything.

His brother, Alaa al-Najjar, said Muhammad held the family together through war and displacement.

“There is a massive void now,” he said. “He was the one who always kept the family united. We have lost a brother so dear that only God knows the depth of that loss.”

Al-Najjar was the 263rd Palestinian media worker killed since Israel launched its military campaign in Gaza, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office.

International press freedom and human rights groups have condemned Israeli attacks on journalists in Gaza and Lebanon, accusing the military of deliberately targeting media workers and demanding accountability.

In February, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said Israel was responsible for two-thirds of the record 129 journalists and media workers killed worldwide in 2025.

In March, RT correspondent Steve Sweeney and cameraman Ali Rida Sbeity narrowly survived a missile strike less than 10 meters from their position in southern Lebanon, suffering shrapnel wounds. Israel denies that it deliberately targets journalists, insisting its operations are directed against Hamas and other armed groups.

Al-Najjar’s killing comes amid Israeli strikes and gunfire across Gaza despite last October’s ceasefire, which the Palestinian authorities have accused Israel of violating. The Gaza Health Ministry says at least 1,431 Palestinians have been killed and 5,026 wounded since the agreement, bringing the overall toll since October 2023 to more than 74,000 dead, including at least 21,000 children, and 175,000 wounded.

Al-Najjar’s father told RT the ceasefire has brought more fear than safety: “Since the ceasefire, we have not felt more secure at all. We thought it would bring safety, but rather fear and worry have increased.”