Mohammed Mansour, an Asahi Shimbun correspondent who had been reporting from Gaza, was killed in an Israeli missile attack on March 24. (The Asahi Shimbun)

Photo/Illutration Mohammed Mansour, an Asahi Shimbun correspondent in Gaza (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Editor’s note: Our earlier stories reported that Mr. Mansour’s wife and eldest son were also victims of the missile strike. Further reporting found that his wife was hospitalized, but the couple did not have any children. The background of the mix-ups is reported here in Japanese: (https://www.asahi.com/articles/AST441VPMT44UHBI012M.html) 

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Mohammed Mansour, an Asahi Shimbun correspondent, was killed in an Israeli missile attack at his home in Gaza on March 24.

Authorities in Gaza confirmed the death of the 29-year-old journalist in Khan Younis city.

His wife and infant son, who were with him at the time, had also been reported dead.

However, the correspondent’s father later told The Asahi Shimbun that Mansour’s wife was receiving treatment at a hospital. According to the father and other relatives, Mansour and his wife had no children.

Norihiko Kuwayama, a psychiatrist and president of “Chikyu no Steiji” (Stage of the Earth), a nonprofit organization to which Mansour belonged, said he heard about the missile strike from an NPO staff member at 1 p.m. (around 8 p.m. Japan time) on March 24.

The staff member had been in contact with Mansour until an hour before the call to Kuwayama.

Mansour originally lived in Rafah in the southernmost part of the Gaza Strip, but he recently rented a house in Khan Younis after being repeatedly displaced because of the Israeli military bombardment.

According to Gaza authorities, Mansour is the 207th journalist killed in Gaza since October 2023, when fighting between Israeli forces and Islamic organization Hamas escalated.

Middle East satellite broadcaster Al-Jazeera reported that one of its journalists also died in Gaza on March 24.

As a correspondent for The Asahi Shimbun, Mansour sent interview notes and video footage to the Jerusalem bureau chief, Jun Takaku, via a message app. They also exchanged calls to complete articles, despite the poor internet environment.

The last time Takaku spoke with Mansour was before 2 a.m. local time on March 24.

When Takaku told Mansour not to go anywhere dangerous, the correspondent laughed and said that even hospitals were being attacked, so he did not know of any place that was not in danger.

Around 11 a.m., Takaku received a message from Mansour saying that the Israeli attacks in Khan Younis had become intense.

He asked the bureau chief to send him a picture of the latest article when it is published.

Takaku replied with a “like” emoji.

Kengo Sakajiri, an executive director and executive editor of The Asahi Shimbun Company, issued a statement about Mansour’s death.

“We are deeply saddened and outraged by the death of Mohammed Mansour, who reported from the field on the situation in Gaza, the Palestinian Authority, where Israeli military attacks continue.

“Attacks against civilians, including journalists, are never acceptable under any circumstance. We have received reports of an Israeli missile attack, and we are continuing our coverage to confirm the details of the situation.”

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