At least 21 people were killed in the attack on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, including five journalists who worked for Al Jazeera, according to Israel, which has received a lot of negative reviews.
The attack on Monday involved two “double taps,” the second of which was captured on camera and showed journalists and rescuers being directly hit on a staircase.
Since its occupation of Gaza in October 2023, Israel has since killed more than 270 journalists and media figures. A sixth journalist, Hassan Douhan, who worked as a correspondent for Al-Hayat al-Jadida newspaper, was killed in a separate incident in Khan Younis later on Monday, not just the journalists killed by the Nasser Hospital attack.
The journalists who were killed made up Gaza’s dwindling but increasingly close-knit media community. They had already endured almost two years of war, which had an impact on both their professional and personal lives.
Ahmed Abu Aziz
Ahmed Abu Aziz, 29, was admired by his modesty, charity, and humility.
Ahmed had a reputation for being well-known in Gaza’s media scene, and he collaborated with organizations like Middle East Eye, Quds Feed, and the Independent Commission for Human Rights.
Ahmed was unable to travel around Gaza because of the conflict. He would frequently travel by foot across the Gaza Strip to investigate reports of Israeli war crimes committed against Palestinian civilians.
Ahmed got married in July of last year, and he was also working on a doctoral dissertation at Tunisia’s Institute for Press and Information Sciences, which expressed regret for his death and condemned journalists’ harassment in Gaza.
Hussam al-Masri
Hussam al-Masri, 49, worked for Reuters news agency as a contractor and photojournalist for Palestine TV. Nasser Hospital’s live video feed, which Hussam claimed “suddenly shut down at the time of the initial]Israeli] strike,” was running for Reuters.
Hussam’s devotion to his work was demonstrated even as he dealt with personal difficulties.
Amr Tabash, a journalist who was writing Hussam’s death on Instagram, recalls that he had asked him to “help me evacuate my wife” in a broken voice a few days prior. She is suffering from an illness, and I can no longer bear to watch her go through that.
Hussam was one of the last patients to leave Nasser Hospital during an Israeli siege in December, according to Amr, who described him as devoted to helping others. Since Hussam is no longer able to help his wife, Amr requested that she do so.
Hussam has lost his partner and family, but his wife is still fighting cancer alone, in excruciating pain, according to Amr. Do not allow his wife to be put to death in silence for Hussam’s sake, for the cause to which he devoted his life, and for his children.
Mariam Abu Daqqa
A 13-year-old boy named Ghaith was the mother of Mariam Abu Daqqa, a 33-year-old Palestinian journalist.
Ghaith was sent to live with his father in the United Arab Emirates out of fear for his safety during the war.
Mariam contributed to Independent Arabia while working as a freelance photographer for a number of international publications, including The Associated Press.
She was well-known among her coworkers because of how diligently and unapologetically she kept tabs on the suffering of the Palestinian people. Even under repeated Israeli assaults on Gaza, she remained on the front lines, among the journalists covering the conflict at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
Mariam documented numerous human accounts that revealed the suffering Palestinians are enduring under siege and bombardment.
Mariam was also devoted to her family. She had previously given her father, who had kidney failure, a kidney she had previously donated. However, she was unable to save her mother, who had been battling cancer for four months because Gaza’s lack of treatment was unreachable.
Mohammad Salama
Mohammad Salama worked for Al Jazeera in Gaza as a 24-year photojournalist and cameraman. He was born and educated in the town’s schools in Abasan al-Kabira, east of Khan Younis.
In February of this year, he began working as a cameraman for Al Jazeera. Even in the most difficult circumstances, he was admired by his professionalism, dedication, cheerful smile, and upbeat spirit among his coworkers.
Mohammad lived with his father and his family until he lost his mother in childhood. He proposed to journalist Hala Asfour in November, expecting their wedding after a truce or ceasefire.
Mohammad received a photography diploma while attending a vocational college. He took numerous courses, shadowed veteran journalists, and developed his passion for photojournalism as a young child.
After an Israeli operation in Khan Younis in December 2023, he was one of the few journalists who were evacuated, but he was temporarily forced to leave when Israeli forces stormed Nasser Hospital and ejected displaced residents from the city at gunpoint.
The journalist who was killed in the war would later be killed in the same hospital.
Moaz Abu Taha
A 27-year-old freelance video journalist from Palestine, Moaz Abu Taha.
Before losing his life along with his colleagues, Moaz was one of the younger photojournalists who covered the destruction of Gaza.
He wrote on Facebook that, “By God, our strength is gone” after the tragic death of Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif two weeks prior.
Moaz frequently assisted patients, the less fortunate, and children because he was known for his humor, kindness, and humanity.
After learning about the initial strike at Nasser Hospital, his brother, journalist Adly Abu Taha, called him. “I called him right away. He responded, “Hussam al-Masri has been killed, but I’m fine.” I pleaded with him to leave and said, “May God have mercy on him.”
Source: Aljazeera
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