Five more journalists have been killed in Gaza this week, raising the number of Palestinian journalists killed in the enclave to 218, according to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
The war in Gaza has become the deadliest conflict for journalists on record. Since October 7, 2023, the IFJ has documented 232 journalist deaths, consisting of 218 Palestinians, four Israelis, nine Lebanese and one Syrian. The toll has far surpassed any previous war.
The latest victims were Reuters photographer Hussam Al Masri, Al Jazeera cameraman Mohammad Salama, AP freelancer Mariam Dagga, Quds Feed’s Ahmed Abu Aziz and Moaz Abu Taha, a freelance journalist who worked with several news organisations. Reuters confirmed Al Masri’s death and said another photographer, Hatem Khaled, was also injured. Al Jazeera and the AP confirmed the loss of their colleagues, praising their reporting despite working under extreme danger.
Israel described the double strike on Nasser Hospital that killed 20 people, including the journalists, as a “tragic mishap”. But rights groups and the UN condemned the attack, saying journalists and hospitals should never be attacked. UN spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said the killings should “shock the world into action, demanding accountability and justice”.
Both Reuters and AP have written to Israeli officials demanding an explanation, calling the deaths “outrageous” and stressing that local journalists are the only independent witnesses left in Gaza, given Israel’s nearly two-year ban on foreign reporters entering the strip.
