Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Gaza, August 26 - The bodies of the five journalists killed this Monday in the Israeli double bombing of Naser Hospital in southern Gaza were transported to the cemetery by a crowd of Palestinians demanding that Israel cease its targeting of those documenting the genocide.
“The cameras hit by Israeli missiles will not be turned off, and the Civil Defense vests will continue to shine,” one of the journalists who participated in the funeral procession told EFE.
The bodies were carried on stretchers from Naser Hospital. Alongside them rested their press vests and cameras—some intact, others stained with blood and dust, and some shattered after the attack.
In total, 20 people lost their lives in the assault, including a rescue worker, three hospital staff members, and a final-year medical student, according to witnesses and local sources.
“They fell one after another.”
Most of the five journalists worked for international outlets—Israel continues to block foreign press access to Gaza—and they had gone to Naser Hospital to document an initial strike when Israel bombed the medical center again.
The attack was broadcast live by Egyptian television Al Ghad, and in the footage, rescue workers and journalists can be seen working on the fire escape, a frequently used location during their live reports.
“One after another: Hossam fell, Mohamed fell, Moaz fell, and Mariam fell. But the cameras will not be turned off, and they will not disappear from the squares or atop buildings. We will keep chasing the image everywhere,” a journalist who preferred not to reveal his name for safety reasons told EFE.
The names of the deceased are: Hossam Al Masri (Reuters cameraman), Mohamed Salama (Al Jazeera correspondent), Mariam Abu Daqqa (collaborator with the U.S. agency AP), Moaz Abu Taha (freelancer), and Ahmed Abu Aziz (journalist for Quds Feed and others).
“We want to live free.”
Dozens of people, as the funeral procession passed, cried, prayed, and shouted slogans for a Gaza enduring over 22 months of attacks and destruction. “We want to be free” and “Cry for those separated from their parents, for those parted from their loved ones,” the crowd chanted.
“Mohamed rests, and we will continue the fight,” the crowd chanted as it headed to the cemetery, where some of those carrying the bodies were also journalists dressed in bulletproof vests with “Press” identification.
According to the Gaza government, 245 journalists and influencers have been killed in Gaza since the Israeli offensive began in October 2023; the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) estimates the figure at 192 reporters.
“They were doing their job, transmitting the reality of the citizens and the oppressed people of Gaza—constant bombings and relentless persecution of journalists,” said another attendee at the funeral, lamenting that they almost have to say goodbye to a journalist every day. (Text and photo: Cubasí)
