Mariam Daga, a visual journalist who built freelance for the Associated Press and other news outlets and produced tragic images of the war in Gaza, was killed Monday on an Israeli strike at a hospital. She was 33 years old.
Through photos and videos, I took my life Among ordinary Palestinians facing extraordinary challenges, families who have been kicked out of their homes, people crowded around aid trucks, mourners attending funerals, and doctors treating injured or malnourished children.
During the war, Daga regularly based at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis. She was among 20 people, including five journalists. He was killed there on Monday by Israeli strikesaccording to health authorities and news outlets.
“She worked under extremely difficult circumstances to bring stories from Gaza to the world, reporting on the impact of war on children in particular,” said Julie Pace, executive editor and senior vice president of the Associated Press. “We are devastated by her death and are more clearly and urgently seeking strikes.”
Mariam Dagga, 33, a freelance journalist who worked with the Associated Press and other outlets during the Gaza War, photographed a portrait on June 14, 2024 at Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. alshrafi)
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Israel-Hamas War was one of the bloodiest conflicts for media workers, with at least 189 journalists killed in the 22-month conflict. In comparison, 18 journalists have been killed so far in the Russian war in Ukraine, according to the CPJ.
In an interview with Eye Aon Palestine with social media platform Palestine, Dagga appealed to the international community to protect journalists in Gaza and end the war. In a video message on Sunday, one of her last social media posts, she warned that she was not safe anywhere in Gaza.
“Every place is dangerous and there is air strike… Every home has a story. Every home has detainees. Every home has suffering.”
Born in Khan Younis, Dagga studied journalism and graduated from Al-Aqsa University in Gaza. She began working as a journalist in 2015.
She was survived by her 13-year-old son, who moved to the United Arab Emirates at the start of the war to live with her father.
When she wasn’t working, she would often call her son. She wanted to return to Karn Yunis to be with her, she told her colleagues. At her will, Daga had shared with her friend, she spoke directly to her son.
At the funeral on Monday, relatives and colleagues shed tears and loved their cheeks. Her body was covered in white, with a single red flower gently placed next to her face.
Before the war, she was giving her father kidneys, according to her father, Nada Daga.
This photo is provided by Riyadh Daga, a family member surrounded by relatives and friends, and prays for the body of her daughter, Mariam Daga, 33, a freelance journalist.
Evacuation from her home forced her to travel multiple times during the war, but she never stopped working.
“She was always ready,” said Sarah El Deeb, an AP reporter based in Beirut. “Daga stayed near Nasser Hospital and saw the skills, patience and the cruelty of war, in order to report the costs to the people of Gaza, their doctors, their children and mothers,” she said.
For her Recent reports of malnourished children In Gaza, Daga won the Internal AP Award, recognising the strongest work produced each week.
The editor of Dagga of Adhwan Alahmari, an independent Arabian media outlet, said she is one of the most ethical and dedicated reporters and photographers. He called the strike a “strong violation of international law.” ”
Wafaa Shurafa, senior producer of Gaza’s AP, who worked at Dagga Daily, said no one hesitated to help. Despite the serious difficulties she faced, Daga never laughed and quickly complained that she was deeply respected and loved by her colleagues, friends and family, Shurafa said.
Shurafa said he missed a call from Daga after the first strike hit the hospital on Monday. When she called, Daga didn’t answer.
“I was nervous at first because she didn’t answer. I was very worried. I thought she was filming, but I never imagined that she had been killed,” she said.
“She didn’t answer, and she wouldn’t.”
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The story was revised to reflect the murder of at least 189 journalists in Gaza during the 22-month Israel-Hamas War.
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Magiddy reported from Cairo, while Mednic reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. London’s Brian Melley contributed to this story.
