A Year On, Slain Gaza Journalist Mariam Dagga's Work Endures
One year after journalist Mariam Dagga was killed in an Israeli strike on Gaza's Nasser Hospital, her impactful reporting continues to resonate.
A year has passed since an Israeli airstrike claimed the life of Mariam Dagga, a 33-year-old visual journalist working in Gaza. She was killed alongside other journalists and rescue workers at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, a facility that had become one of the few functioning hospitals in the enclave and a critical hub for Palestinian journalists providing live footage to the world.
The strike on August 25, 2025, was followed by a second attack as first responders and media rushed to the scene. The incident resulted in the deaths of 22 Palestinians, marking one of the deadliest attacks on a hospital and on journalists during the conflict. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the event as a "tragic mishap" amid international outcry.
The Israeli military claimed it was targeting what it believed to be a Hamas surveillance camera, but provided no supporting evidence. It alleged that a towel covering the camera was an attempt at concealment. However, Hussam Al-Masri, a cameraman who was also killed in the strikes while broadcasting live, was known to routinely cover his camera with a cloth to protect it from the sun and dust. Despite requests from her employer, the Israeli military has not provided details of its investigation, stating it is ongoing.
Dagga's work poignantly documented the lives of Palestinians facing immense hardship—families displaced from their homes, crowds scrambling for aid, mourners at funerals, and doctors treating malnourished children. Her legacy is carried on by her 14-year-old son, Ghaith, whom she sent out of Gaza when the war began. Her father, brothers, and sisters remain in Khan Younis.