Israeli strikes on a hospital in southern Gaza killed 4 journalists Monday, together with a freelancer who labored for The Related Press, in response to well being officers.
Mariam Dagga, 33, a visible journalist, freelanced for the AP through the battle, in addition to different information shops. The AP mentioned in a press release that it was shocked and saddened to study of Dagga’s demise, together with these of different journalists.
Two missiles hit Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, medical officers mentioned. In all, 19 folks have been killed, in response to Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Gaza Well being Ministry’s data division.
The Israel-Hamas battle has been one of many bloodiest conflicts for media employees, with at the very least 192 journalists killed in Gaza within the 22-month battle, in response to the Committee to Shield Journalists. Comparatively, 18 journalists have been killed to this point in Russia’s struggle in Ukraine, in response to the CPJ.
Dagga, who has a 12-year-old son who was evacuated from Gaza earlier within the battle, ceaselessly based mostly herself at Nasser, most lately reporting on the hospital’s docs struggling to avoid wasting youngsters from hunger. Impartial Arabia, the Arabic language model of the British Impartial, mentioned Dagga additionally labored with the group.
“We’re doing every thing we are able to to maintain our journalists in Gaza secure as they proceed to offer essential eyewitness reporting in troublesome and harmful circumstances,” the AP mentioned.
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Al Jazeera confirmed that its journalist Mohammed Salam was additionally amongst those that have been killed within the Nasser strike. Reuters reported that its contractor cameraman Hussam al-Masri was killed and its contractor photographer Hatem Khaled wounded. It was not instantly clear who the fourth journalist killed was.
The Israeli navy mentioned its troops carried out a strike within the space of Nasser Hospital and that it will conduct an investigation into the incident. The navy mentioned it “regrets any hurt to uninvolved people and doesn’t goal journalists as such.”
Thibaut Bruttin, the director basic of Reporters With out Borders, mentioned press freedom advocates had by no means seen such a extreme step backward for reporters’ security. He famous that journalists have been killed each in indiscriminate strikes and in focused assaults that Israel’s navy has acknowledged finishing up.
“They’re doing every thing they will to silence impartial voices which can be attempting to report on Gaza,” Bruttin mentioned.
In some circumstances, similar to with Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif, who was focused and killed by Israel earlier this month, Israel has accused journalists in Gaza of being a part of militant teams. Israel’s navy asserted that al-Sharif had led a Hamas cell — an allegation that Al Jazeera and al-Sharif beforehand dismissed as baseless.
Apart from uncommon guided excursions, Israel has barred worldwide media from overlaying the battle. Information organizations as an alternative rely largely on Palestinian journalists in Gaza — in addition to residents — to indicate the world what is going on there. Israel usually questions the affiliations and biases of Palestinian journalists however doesn’t allow others in.
Most of the journalists working in Gaza are dealing with the identical struggles to search out meals, for themselves and their households, because the folks they’re overlaying.
In considered one of Dagga’s final social media posts on Sunday, she printed a selfie of herself.
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