By Ammar M. Rajab Johannesburg, South Africa – The African Journalists Against Genocide (AJAG) has condemned the killing of six Palestinian ...
By Ammar M. Rajab
Johannesburg, South Africa – The African Journalists Against Genocide (AJAG) has condemned the killing of six Palestinian journalists in Gaza, accusing Israel of systematically targeting media workers in violation of international law. The group described the killings as part of a broader campaign of violence against journalists covering the ongoing conflict in the region.
According to AJAG, five journalists were killed in a double airstrike on the fourth floor of the Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza on Monday, August 25. The victims were reporting from the hospital when the Israeli military launched what AJAG referred to as a “targeted attack.” A live feed being run by one of the victims, Reuters photojournalist Hussam Al-Masri, cut off moments before the strike. The other journalists killed in the same attack were Mohammad Salama of Al Jazeera, Mariam Abu Daqqa of The Independent Arabic and Associated Press, Moaz Abu Taha of NBC News, and Ahmed Abu Aziz of Quds Feed Network. Two additional journalists, Hatem Omar of Reuters and Jamal Badah of Palestine Today TV, were injured.
On the same day, a sixth journalist, Hassan Douhan of Al-Hayat Al-Jadida newspaper, was reportedly shot and killed by Israeli forces in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Younis while reporting on the humanitarian situation there. The Gaza Government Media Office confirmed the deaths and stated that a total of twenty people were killed in the strikes on the hospital, with several more injured.
In their statement, AJAG expressed outrage at what they called Israel’s “unabated violence” against Palestinian journalists. The organisation, a coalition of senior journalists from over thirty African countries, emphasised that the deaths come less than two weeks after six other journalists, including Anas al-Sharif, were killed on August 10. Another journalist, Islam El-Khomy, was reportedly killed on August 19.
The Gaza Government Media Office issued a statement blaming not only Israel but also the United States and several European countries for supporting what it described as a genocide. “We hold the Israeli occupation, the U.S. administration, and the states participating in the genocide — such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and France — fully responsible for committing these heinous and brutal crimes,” the statement read.
AJAG concluded with a stark declaration: “Journalism is not a crime. Killing journalists is THE crime.” The group urged international journalist unions and media organisations to denounce the attacks and demand accountability. Since the escalation of the war in October 2023, at least 274 journalists have been killed in Gaza, according to AJAG.
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