An Israeli strike on a hospital in southern Gaza killed four journalists on Monday. It consists a freelancer for The Associated Press, according to health officials. Mariam Dagga, 33, was a visual journalist who had been freelancing for the AP since the Gaza war began, and for other news outlets. The AP expressed shock and sadness at Dagga’s death, along with those of several other journalists.
19 killed in Israeli strike in Gaza
In total, 19 people died in the strike on Nasser Hospital, according to Zaher al-Waheidi, who leads the Health Ministry’s records department. Dagga, who has a 12-year-old son evacuated from Gaza earlier in the war, frequently worked at Nasser. Recently, she reported on the doctors there struggling to save children suffering from starvation.
Al Jazeera confirmed that its journalist, Mohammed Salam, was also among those killed in the Nasser strike. Reuters reported that its contractor cameraman, Hussam al-Masri, was killed and its contractor photographer, Hatem Khaled, was wounded. The Israeli prime minister’s office and the Israeli military declined to comment on the strike.
The Israel-Hamas war has been one of the deadliest conflicts for media workers, with at least 192 journalists killed in Gaza over the past 22 months, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. In comparison, 18 journalists have died so far in Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to the CPJ.
Israel prohibits media to cover war
Apart from rare guided tours, Israel has prevented international media from covering the Israeli strike. News organisations largely depend on Palestinian journalists in Gaza, as well as local residents, to report what is happening there. Israel often questions the alliances and possible biases of Palestinian journalists, but does not allow others in. Many journalists working in Gaza face the same challenges in finding food for themselves and their families as those they are covering.
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