SAFA- The British newspaper The Independent has demanded accountability for Israeli soldiers who killed Palestinian journalist Mariam Abu Dagga and five other journalists in a direct Israeli attack on Nasser Medical Complex in Gaza.

Abu Dagga, 33, worked for Independent Arabia and the Associated Press, reporting from Gaza as Israeli genocidal war intensified.

 She was among journalists and medical workers killed after successive rounds of Israeli tank fire struck the hospital, raising concerns that the attack may have involved a “double-tap” strike.

She left behind a teenage son whom she had sent to the United Arab Emirates for his safety as the war escalated.

Abu Dagga's life had already been marked by profound personal loss. Her mother died of cancer in 2024 amid severe restrictions and shortages that limited access to medical care. Abu Dagga had also donated one of her kidneys to her ailing father.

 Like millions of Palestinians in Gaza, she endured repeated displacement and the loss of loved ones during the Israeli genocidal war.

Aware of the dangers facing journalists and civilians in Gaza, Abu Dagga had reportedly prepared a will and understood the risks posed by Israeli offensive operations around hospitals, especially Nasser Medical Complex, where she was working, which was later surrounded by Israeli forces.

The circumstances of her death have prompted testimonies over war crimes by Israeli forces. The Independent said it shared its detailed findings with the Israeli army and sought responses to specific reports on human rights violations.

Abu Dagga was not the only journalist killed or wounded during the Israeli genocidal war. 

The Committee to Protect Journalists has reported that more than 200 Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israeli forces since the genocide began in 2023, making the toll among journalists unprecedented in the organization's records.

At least five journalists were also killed during the assault on Nasser Medical Complex a year ago. The scale of the deaths has raised growing concerns about the safety of Palestinian journalists, who have remained a critical source of information from Gaza amid restrictions preventing most foreign journalists from independently reporting inside the territory.

Abu Dagga's death therefore raises questions that extend beyond the fate of one reporter. It has become part of a broader debate over the protection of journalists, the conduct of military operations around medical facilities, and the ability of the press to document an ongoing war.

Supporters and colleagues say an independent investigation is necessary to establish the facts surrounding Abu Dagga's death and Israeli violations of  international laws protecting journalists, medical facilities, and civilians.

The continued exclusion of international journalists from Gaza has added to demands for greater transparency. 

With foreign media largely unable to report independently from inside the territory, Palestinian journalists have carried much of the burden of documenting the Israeli genocidal war while facing extraordinary risks.