DUBAI: Palestinian photojournalist and filmmaker Ismail Abu Hatab was among at least 30 people killed in an Israeli strike on a seafront cafe in Gaza.
Al-Baqa Cafe, located along Gaza’s Mediterranean coast, was a popular gathering spot for journalists, activists, students, and remote workers seeking internet access and a place to charge their devices. It was hit by an Israeli airstrike on Monday morning.
Among the victims was 33-year-old Abu Hatab, known for curating photo exhibitions abroad that documented the horrors of life in Gaza, including “Between the Sky and the Sea,” an immersive photography show recently displayed in Los Angeles.
Frans Alsalmi, a digital artist from Gaza, was also among the casualties.
Meanwhile, prominent Palestinian journalist Bayan Abu Sultan was among dozens injured in the strike.
In response to the attack, Husam Zomlot, Palestinian ambassador to the UK, said: “The erasure of Palestinian journalists and influencers continues unabated. But their words and their art will bear eternal witness to this genocide.”
The Government Media Office in Gaza has confirmed that the death of Abu Hatab raised the number of journalists killed since Oct. 7 to 228.
It condemned “in the strongest terms the systematic assassination of Palestinian journalists in Gaza.”
It also called on international journalist federations and media organizations to demand accountability for the targeting of Palestinian journalists.
The Israel Defense Forces did not issue a public statement about the strike. However, it told CNN that the strike targeted “several Hamas terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip. Prior to the strike, steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians using aerial surveillance.”
