Israeli airstrikes on a hospital in southern Gaza on Monday killed five journalists, according to health officials. Among them was Mariam Dagga, a 33-year-old visual journalist who had recently reported for The Associated Press on malnourished children being treated at the same hospital.
Dagga, who freelanced for AP and other outlets during the conflict, was remembered by the organisation in a statement expressing deep shock and sorrow over her death and the loss of the other journalists.
According to medical officials, two airstrikes hit Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in rapid succession. Videos from the scene show journalists and rescue workers responding to the first blast when a second, much larger explosion struck an exterior staircase frequently used by members of the press.
Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Gaza Health Ministry’s records department, reported that 20 people were killed in total.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office described the incident as a “tragic mishap” and stated that the military is investigating the strike. “Israel values the work of journalists, medical staff, and all civilians,” his office said in a statement
Journalists in Gaza
Many journalists working in Gaza face the same struggles to find food for themselves and their families as the people they cover. Dagga’s 13-year-old son was evacuated from Gaza earlier in the war, and she herself was displaced multiple times.
Al Jazeera confirmed that its journalist, Mohammed Salama was also among those who were killed in the Nasser strikes. Middle East Eye, a U.K.-based media outlet, said Salama had also contributed to its coverage. Reuters reported that its contractor cameraman, Hussam al-Masri and Moaz Abu Taha, a freelancer who worked occasionally for the organisation, were killed. The agency’s contractor photographer, Hatem Khaled, was wounded.
Ahmad Abu Aziz was also killed, according to Health Ministry official al-Waheidi. He had worked as a freelancer for Middle East Eye, the organisation said, as reported by AP.
Dagga frequently based herself at Nasser, most recently reporting on the hospital’s struggle to save children from starvation, including making a series of searing images. Independent Arabia, the Arabic language version of the British Independent, said Dagga also worked with the organization.
She often shared short, somber Facebook posts, reflecting on her life in Gaza. In one of her last, on Sunday, she wrote: “When you see the soil covering the most precious thing you have, only then will you realize how trivial life is.”
Rising fears for journalists in Gaza
Thibaut Bruttin, Director General of Reporters Without Borders, said that press freedom advocates have never witnessed such a severe setback for journalists’ safety. He pointed out that reporters have been killed not only in indiscriminate attacks but also in targeted strikes that the Israeli military has admitted to conducting.
“They are doing everything they can to silence independent voices that are trying to report on Gaza,” Bruttin said.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the deadliest day for journalists in the Gaza war occurred two weeks ago, when six journalists were killed, including Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif. With Monday’s hospital strike, Al Jazeera reported that 10 of its journalists have now been killed in Gaza since the war began.
In response, Reporters Without Borders has called for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to address what it described as Israel’s failure to uphold a U.N. resolution that protects independent journalists during armed conflicts.