International news agencies Reuters and the Associated Press issued a joint statement demanding explanations for the killings of their journalists from Israel’s double strikes in Gaza on Monday.
Reuters Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni and the Associated Press’ Executive Editor and Senior Vice President Julie Pace expressed outrage at the killing of Mariam Dagga, a freelance photographer who worked for AP, photographer Moaz Abu Taham who worked for Reuters, and cameraman Hussam al-Masri who was a contractor for Reuters.
Hatem Khaled, a photographer who is also a contractor for Reuters, was wounded.
The statement, addressed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and other Israeli officials, read, “We are outraged that independent journalists were among the victims of this strike on the hospital, a location that is protected under international law.”
The agencies mentioned the journalists were present during the strikes on Nasser Hospital in Gaza’s Khan Younis in their “professional capacity” and were doing “critical work bearing witness”.
They called out the Israel Defense Forces’ lack of accountability, while calling out its investigations of “past incidents” as lacking clarity. Though the IDF has admitted to conducting a strike near Nasser Hospital, the details given remain vague on its end and maintains it does not “‘target journalists as such’”.
Israel’s double-tap strikes on Nasser Hospital on Monday killed 20 people, five of whom were journalists. Rescue workers and journalists had gathered at the hospital after the initial strike, only to be hit by the second blast around 10 minutes later, reported witnesses.
Israel has used the controversial “double taps” military tactic that are designed to maximise the number of casualties by firing on first responders to the scene of the first attack.
The two news agencies said, “We are doing everything we can to keep our journalists in Gaza safe as they continue to deliver crucial eyewitness reporting under extremely dangerous conditions.”
In the 22 months of Israel’s retaliatory military offence following Hamas’ attacks on October 7, 2023, IDF targeted and killed 197 journalists, 189 of whom were Palestinians, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). Israel has restricted international journalists from entering Gaza.
Two weeks prior to Monday’s attacks, six journalists were targeted and killed in an Israeli strike near Shifa Hospital.
Reuters and AP urged the IDF to protect independent journalists and civilians as per its duty under international law, and to “uphold their obligations to ensure press freedom and protection.”
The statement ended with the agencies willing to discuss the deaths further and emphasised on Israel’s military a transparent account of the incident.