At least 15 people, including four journalists, were killed Monday when Israeli airstrikes struck al-Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, Palestinian health authorities reported.
The journalists killed were Hussam al-Masri, a Reuters cameraman; Mariam Abu Dagga, a freelance reporter for the Associated Press; Mohammed Salam of Al Jazeera; and Moaz Abu Taha, affiliated with NBC. Another Reuters journalist, photographer Hatem Khaled, was seriously injured.
Footage from al-Ghad TV showed civil defense workers and journalists in bright orange vests attempting to recover al-Masri’s body when they themselves came under fire.
In their final moments, rescuers raised their hands for protection before being struck.
Since October 7, 2023, at least 192 Palestinian journalists have been killed, more than the global total for the previous three years combined, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
The CPJ described this as a “deliberate and systematic attempt to silence reporting from Gaza.”
In 2024 alone, nearly one-third of all journalists killed worldwide died in Gaza.
Al Jazeera noted that the number of journalists killed there now surpasses combined totals from both World Wars, the Vietnam War, the Yugoslav conflicts, and the U.S. war in Afghanistan.
October 2023 was the deadliest month, with 44 journalists killed—roughly 16% of the total.
The killings continued in subsequent months: 32 in November, 37 in December, and 17 in January 2024.
Most victims were Palestinian, with 269 killed, alongside three Lebanese and two Israelis.
Israel continues to bar foreign journalists from entering Gaza, prompting protests from international news organizations.
On July 24, CPJ called for the protection of Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al-Sharif after Israel accused him of militant links; eighteen days later, Al-Sharif and three colleagues were killed, described by CPJ as an assassination. Israel has yet to be held accountable for journalist deaths in Gaza.
“Killing witnesses to the story means the story is instead told by those doing the shooting,” CPJ warned.
No immediate response came from Israel’s prime minister’s office or military regarding Monday’s hospital attack.
Meanwhile, the United Nations officially declared famine in Gaza for the first time, with over half a million people trapped in extreme food insecurity, according to a World Food Programme (WFP) report released last Friday.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) projects that famine will spread to Deir Al Balah and Khan Younis in the coming weeks.
By the end of September, more than 640,000 people are expected to face catastrophic food insecurity (IPC Phase 5), with another 1.14 million in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and 396,000 in Crisis (IPC Phase 3).
The Food and Agriculture Organization, UNICEF, WFP, and WHO jointly stressed that immediate action is essential to prevent further loss of life.
Source – NYT
(vitalnewsngr.com)
