Al Jazeera photographer in the Gaza Strip, Fadi al-Wahidi, eulogized his uncle Taj al-Din al-Wahidi, deputy commander of the Western Jabalia battalion in Hamas, who was killed by the IDF this week.
He is a photographer who disseminated propaganda on behalf of Hamas and was previously wounded by IDF fire. He was later evacuated outside the Strip, where he is hospitalized and undergoing rehabilitation.
In a post he published in Arabic, al-Wahidi wrote, "With a heart faithful to Allah's decree and fate, I announce with sorrow the death of my uncle, beloved to my heart, the fighter Taj al-Din al-Wahidi, who ascended with his hand for the sake of Allah."
IDF Arabic spokesman Avichay Adraee responded, "The young men of Tamer al-Mashal, sometimes mistakenly described as journalists - they were all born from the womb of Hamas. Some of them carry out attacks and terrorist activity within the ranks of the al-Qassam Brigades, such as Anas al-Sharif or Husam Shbaat, and there are those who cover up the crimes as part of what is called 'the media jihad'."
Adraee added, "No matter how much they try - they will remain defeated, militarily and in the media, and one day they will apologize to the residents of Gaza for the lies they spread in the name of 'the media'."
Adraee's reference to the name Tamer al-Mashal pertains to a previous IDF disclosure that the senior Al Jazeera journalist acted for years under direct instructions from Hamas. He was required to promote "the resistance" and to prevent criticism of the terrorist organizations in the Strip, especially after failed launches by Islamic Jihad.
The journalist Anas al-Sharif, who drew many eulogies in the Arab world after he was killed by the IDF, was also shown by documents exposed by the IDF to have actually served as a member of Hamas.