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.”
