MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Today marked one of the deadliest days for press in Gaza, and it comes exactly two weeks after an Israeli airstrike had targeted a press tent, killing six journalists, including a popular reporter for Al Jazeera. In today's attack, five Palestinian journalists working for international media were killed at a hospital complex. NPR's Aya Batrawy and Anas Baba have this report. And a warning - it does include the sound of gunfire.
AYA BATRAWY, BYLINE: A Reuters' cameraman, Hussam al-Masri, was operating a live feed with a bird's-eye view of Israeli tanks nearby. He was at the top of an open stairwell at the Nasser medical complex in southern Gaza, when at around 10 a.m., the live feed cut. An Israeli missile had struck him, killing al-Masri on the spot. Journalists and first responders at the hospital rushed to the top of the stairwell. On the ground, a camera for the Al-Ghad news channel zoomed in, capturing what came next.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Speaking Arabic).
(SOUNDBITE OF EXPLOSION)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Speaking Arabic).
BATRAWY: A second Israeli attack, this time from a tank, hit the stairwell.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Speaking Arabic).
BATRAWY: The back-to-back strikes killed at least 22 people. The Israeli military acknowledged the attacks but didn't identify a target. It said an initial inquiry would be conducted soon and that the military does not intentionally target journalists. The prime minister's office said Israel regrets the, quote, "tragic mishap" but offered no further details on what accountability there might be.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Speaking Arabic, crying).
BATRAWY: At the hospital, journalists and others mourn those killed, which included a first responder, a medical resident and hospital staff. Palestinian journalists count more than 245 members of the press killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, all in under two years of war. Among the five journalists killed today was Maryam Abu Daqqa, a contributor to The Associated Press. Abu Daqqa's last photos for AP showed emaciated, severely malnourished children in Gaza. In the final video of herself shared on Instagram, the 33-year-old stands in front of a mirror, taking deep breaths to the backdrop of a song about ascending to heaven.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED MUSICAL ARTIST: (Singing in Arabic).
BATRAWY: She looks gaunt and pale, a glimpse of the starvation and exhaustion journalists face in Gaza. The AP says Abu Daqqa evacuated her 13-year-old son out of Gaza early in the war and hadn't seen him since. The Committee to Protect Journalists says that, quote, "Israel's broadcasted killing of journalists in Gaza represents," quote, "the most horrific attacks the press has ever faced in recent history." This, as Israel continues to block independent access to Gaza for foreign journalists. Aya Batrawy, NPR News, Dubai, with Anas Baba in Khan Yunis, Gaza.
(SOUNDBITE OF PARTYAT4 SONG, "FWM") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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