The Associated Press (AP) and Reuters have urged Israel to provide a clear explanation for the strike on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital last month that killed five journalists, stressing the need for accountability and stronger protections for media workers covering the conflict.
In a joint statement issued by their top editors, Julie Pace of AP and Alessandra Galloni of Reuters, the agencies called on the Israeli government to “explain the deaths of these journalists and to take every step to protect those who continue to cover this conflict.” The statement came on the one-month anniversary of the hospital strike.
Those killed included AP visual journalist Mariam Dagga, Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri, and freelance journalist Moaz Abu Taha, whose work had appeared in Reuters. Seventeen others also died in the attack. Both agencies emphasised that Nasser Hospital, in Khan Younis, is protected under international law and is a vital hub for reporting from Gaza.
“We renew our demand for a clear account from the Israeli authorities and urge the government to uphold its obligations to ensure press freedom and protection. We remain devastated and outraged by their deaths,” the statement read.
Israel has not formally responded to the joint letter sent by AP and Reuters immediately after the incident. The Israeli military has said it was targeting what it believed to be a Hamas surveillance device, describing the deaths of journalists as a “mishap,” but has not provided supporting evidence.
The attack adds to the rising toll on journalists in Gaza. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), at least 239 journalists and media workers have been killed since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. In comparison, CPJ reports 18 journalist deaths in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Earlier in August, Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif and several colleagues were killed in another Israeli strike on a tent sheltering reporters in Gaza, underscoring what press freedom groups have called an alarming pattern of attacks on media workers.
CPJ has urged the international community to act, calling for “an immediate end to unlawful attacks on journalists, independent access for global media to Gaza, and accountability for those responsible.”
This week, the BBC, along with AP, Reuters and Agence France-Presse, released a short film advocating for international media access to Gaza. Narrated by veteran BBC journalist David Dimbleby, the film premiered in New York during an event hosted by CPJ alongside the United Nations General Assembly.
The renewed demand from AP and Reuters comes just a day before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly, with press freedom advocates warning that the targeting of journalists undermines transparency in one of the world’s most dangerous reporting environments.
