LONDON: Reuters and The Associated Press have jointly called on Tel Aviv to conduct a full and transparent investigation into its strike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on Monday that killed five freelance journalists covering Israel’s war on Gaza.
In a letter on Monday addressed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and other senior officials, the two leading news agencies demanded a clear explanation.
The attack killed AP freelancer Mariam Dagga, Reuters contributor Moaz Abu Taha and cameraman Hussam Al-Masri. Photographer Hatem Khaled, also contracted by Reuters, was wounded.
Noting the nearly two-year ban on foreign correspondents entering the enclave ravaged by Israel, the media agencies said: “These journalists were present in their professional capacity, doing critical work bearing witness.”
The letter added: “We are outraged that independent journalists were among the victims of this strike on the hospital, a location that is protected under international law.”
Though the media agencies acknowledged Tel Aviv’s pledge to investigate the attack, they raised concerns about the credibility of Israel’s internal probes, citing a lack of transparency and past failures to deliver accountability and action.
This, they said, raises “serious questions including whether Israel is deliberately targeting live feeds in order to suppress information.”
Since Oct. 7, 2023, at least 197 journalists and media workers have been killed, including 189 Palestinians, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. The toll includes multiple confirmed cases of targeted strikes.
Following Monday’s strike, the Israeli military claimed it “does not target journalists as such.”
But both agencies questioned the statement and raised concerns over whether Israel was fulfilling its obligations under international law to protect journalists and civilians.
“Striking a hospital, followed by a second strike while journalists and rescuers were responding, raises urgent questions about whether these obligations were upheld,” the letter read.
The agencies reiterated their call for Israel to allow safe and unimpeded access to Gaza for independent journalists, urging officials to uphold press freedom and protection.
“We are doing everything we can to keep our journalists in Gaza safe as they continue to deliver crucial eyewitness reporting under extremely dangerous conditions,” the letter stated.
Israeli authorities have not yet responded to the joint request.
Similarly, the Foreign Press Association, which represents international media working in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, expressed its outrage on the attack, demanding “an immediate explanation” from the Israeli army and the Israeli PM’s office.
In a statement on Monday, the association called on Israel “once and for all to halt its abhorrent practice of targeting journalists.”
It added: “This must be a watershed moment. We appeal to international leaders: Do everything you can to protect our colleagues. We cannot do it ourselves.”
