AP freelancer among 4 journalists killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza hospital

Two missiles hit Nasser Hospital, medical officials said. In all, 19 people were killed, according to Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Gaza Health Ministry’s records department.

Israeli strikes on a hospital in southern Gaza killed four journalists Monday, including a freelancer who worked for The Associated Press, according to health officials.

Mariam Dagga, 33, a visual journalist, freelanced for the AP during the conflict, as well as other news outlets. The AP said in a statement that it was shocked and saddened to learn of Dagga’s death, along with those of other journalists.

Two missiles hit Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, medical officials said. In all, 19 people were killed, according to Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Gaza Health Ministry’s records department.

The Israel-Hamas conflict has been one of the bloodiest conflicts for media workers, with at least 192 journalists killed in Gaza in the 22-month conflict, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Comparatively, 18 journalists have been killed so far in Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to the CPJ.

Dagga, who has a 12-year-old son who was evacuated from Gaza earlier in the conflict, frequently based herself at Nasser, most recently reporting on the hospital’s doctors struggling to save children from starvation. Independent Arabia, the Arabic language version of the British Independent, said Dagga also worked with the organization.

“We are doing everything we can to keep our journalists in Gaza safe as they continue to provide crucial eyewitness reporting in difficult and dangerous conditions,” the AP said.

Al Jazeera confirmed that its journalist Mohammed Salam was also among those who were killed in the Nasser strike. Reuters reported that its contractor cameraman Hussam al-Masri was killed and its contractor photographer Hatem Khaled wounded. It was not immediately clear who the fourth journalist killed was.

The Israeli military said its troops carried out a strike in the area of Nasser Hospital and that it would conduct an investigation into the incident. The military said it “regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and does not target journalists as such.”