Al Jazeera cameraman dies in Syria’s Homs

Al Jazeera cameraman Zakaria Ibrahim has died six days after he was injured by shrapnel while covering a Syrian army bombardment in the province of Homs.

Ibrahim, who died from his injuries on Monday, was in the village of Teldo to report on what was expected to be a ceasefire there between rebels and the forces of President Bashar al-Assad.

“The Al Jazeera crew was preparing to report on the agreed-upon truce before [the Assad] regime forces targeted Teldo,” said Jalal Abu Sulaiman, an Al Jazeera reporter in the city.

Ibrahim was hit by shrapnel while filming the bombardment, Abu Sulaiman said. The shrapnel was removed on the same day by medical staff but his condition remained critical.

He had worked as a cameraman with Al Jazeera for more than a year and had filmed numerous clashes and peace agreements in Homs.

Al Jazeera Arabic Managing Director Yaser Abuhilalah said: “It is tragic that we have lost many colleagues in the line of duty, the latest being our cameraman in Homs, Zakaria Ibrahim.

“We depend and will continue to depend on our teams in Syria, who never left their besieged and demolished hometowns.

“Al Jazeera connected Zakaria Ibrahim and his other colleagues in Syria, who were living under siege, to the rest of the world. The channel will not spare any effort in alleviating the pain of their families and ensuring their security.”

Homs saw some of the biggest protests of the early uprising against Assad and later some of the fiercest fighting when opposition forces took up arms after a government crackdown.

Assad forces control most of Homs, with the exception of some parts of the north. Several peace deals have been agreed between regime forces and rebels in different parts of Homs in recent days.

More than 250,000 people have been killed since Syria’s conflict began in March 2011, a number of Al Jazeera journalists among them. 

Last September, Ahmad Abdel Karim Masalameh, an Al Jazeera reporter in Deraam, died while covering the fighting there. 

In December 2014, Al Jazeera’s Mahran al-Dairi was killed while reporting on clashes between regime troops and rebels in Deraa.

Mohammad Jalil al-Qasem was killed in Sepember 2014 in the suburbs of Idlib.

On December 4, 2013, cameraman Yasser al-Jumaili was shot multiple times as he tried to leave Syria by road after finishing an assignment.

In January 2013, Mohammad al-Hourani, an Al Jazeera correspondent in Deraa, was killed by a sniper in the suburb of Busra al-Harir.

Syria is the most dangerous country in the world for journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Since the start of the uprising, dozens of journalists have been killed and scores abducted.