The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is asserting that a staff member of a ZDF partner company, killed in a recent airstrike in Gaza, was an active Hamas terrorist. The claim, reported by Bild am Sonntag citing Israeli military sources, has ignited a political firestorm and prompted a sharp rebuke from the German broadcaster.
According to the IDF, the deceased, whose identity has not been formally released, held the rank of platoon commander within Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades. Israeli officials allege he was involved in the production of weaponry, suggesting his death was a deliberate targeting of a militant rather than a tragic consequence of collateral damage.
ZDF, a major German public broadcaster, publicly mourned the loss of the employee, who worked for Palestine Media Production (PMP), a company ZDF has contracted since 1996. ZDF’s editor-in-chief, Bettina Schausten, condemned the strike, describing attacks on “media professionals” as “unacceptable.
Responding to Bild am Sonntag’s inquiry, ZDF acknowledged the IDF’s allegations but stressed that the military has yet to provide any supporting evidence. “The IDF claims the deceased engineer worked for a Hamas production facility in the rank of platoon commander. To date, the IDF has not presented any proof for this” ZDF stated. The broadcaster also confirmed having internally investigated the possibility of the employee’s affiliations with Hamas, finding “no indications” that the accusations were accurate.
ZDF is now demanding that the IDF provide the deceased’s date of birth and identification number to rule out a case of mistaken identity. This request has so far been ignored.
Israeli military sources, speaking anonymously to Bild am Sonntag, defended the policy, arguing that ZDF is not entitled to evidence concerning the elimination of a suspected terrorist simply due to his employment with a partner firm. Such disclosures, they claim, could jeopardize sensitive intelligence sources and compromise ongoing operations.
PMP has categorically denied any knowledge of the employee’s purported links to Hamas, confirming his full-time employment since 2013. The incident raises serious questions about the safety of media workers operating within conflict zones and highlights the complexities of distinguishing between legitimate media activities and potential involvement in militant operations. The lack of transparency from the IDF and the absence of corroborating evidence continue to fuel accusations of a politically motivated cover-up.
