Mariam Dagga
Mariam Dagga was killed on August 25, 2025, in a double Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis while carrying her camera and reporting alongside other journalists.
On August 25, 2025, Mariam Dagga was covering events at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, where she had often based herself during the war, when Israeli artillery shells struck the facility in rapid succession. The first strike caused chaos, drawing rescuers, patients, and journalists, and moments later a second, more powerful blast hit an external stairwell where journalists frequently gathered. Mariam, who was carrying her camera at the time, was among five journalists killed in the strike, along with 15 other civilians, bringing the total toll to 20. Family photographs later showed her blood-stained camera as testimony to her final moments in the line of duty. The Israeli military described the attack as a “tragic mishap,” stating it had been targeting a Hamas surveillance camera on the hospital roof, but international organizations and press freedom advocates condemned the killing as part of a broader pattern of attacks on journalists in Gaza.
Biography
Mariam Dagga, 33, was a Palestinian freelance visual journalist from Gaza who contributed to the Associated Press, Al Jazeera, Middle East Eye, Independent Arabia, and other international outlets during the war. Known for her courage and compassion, she often reported from Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, documenting the desperate conditions of civilians and children suffering from starvation. A mother of a 13-year-old son who was evacuated from Gaza earlier in the conflict, Mariam continued working despite displacement, hunger, and the dangers of covering the frontlines. She was admired for her searing images that captured both the suffering and resilience of Gaza’s people, and for her somber reflections on life, which she often shared with friends and followers on social media.
Born and raised in Gaza, Mariam Dagga dedicated her professional life to journalism and photography, determined to ensure that the voices and struggles of Palestinians were not forgotten amid the war. Over the years, she built a reputation as a skilled and fearless visual journalist, contributing to several major international organizations including the Associated Press, where her photographs often reached a global audience. Her work from Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis was particularly significant, as she documented the harrowing scenes of overcrowded wards, children suffering from starvation, and families enduring unimaginable loss. Despite multiple displacements and the constant threat of bombardment, Mariam persisted in her work, driven by a deep sense of duty to truth and humanity. Beyond her profession, she was a devoted mother; her only son, age 13, was evacuated earlier in the war, while Mariam chose to remain in Gaza to continue her reporting. Her final social media posts revealed the personal toll o
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Mariam Dagga, 33, a visual journalist, freelanced for the AP and other news outlets during the war. The news organization said in a statement that it was shocked and saddened to learn of Dagga’s death, as well as the deaths of other journalists. We are doing everything we can to keep our journalists in Gaza safe as they continue to provide crucial eyewitness reporting in difficult and dangerous conditions,” the AP said. Two strikes hit Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in quick succession, medical officials said. In videos, journalists and rescue workers can be seen rushing to the scene of the first one, before a massive explosion hits an exterior staircase where journalists are often stationed. In all, 20 people were killed, according to Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Gaza Health Ministry’s records department.1 politico.com Open source
Mariam Abu Dagga was a 33-year-old photojournalist and mother of a 13-year-old boy, Ghaith. She studied journalism at university and began working in 2015, covering major events in Gaza such as the 2018 “great march of return”. During the Gaza war, she began working for the Associated Press and Independent Arabia, primarily covering humanitarian issues. Her photography highlighted the human suffering in Gaza, with pictures depicting starving children and people grieving their loved ones after Israeli strikes. Her last report for the Associated Press covered the plight of malnourished children in Nasser hospital, where she was killed on Monday. Fellow journalists said Dagga was always ready to work, even in dangerous areas of Gaza, to get the story out to the world. Friends and family said she was overwhelmingly kind and an inspiration to those around her. “Mariam loved her work, was passionate about it, very fast in covering events and never stopped documenting everything. She was very kind and deeply cared about her family. She loved everyone and everything,” said Siddiq Abu Dagga, Mariam’s brother.2 theguardian.com Open source
At least 20 people, including five journalists working for the international media, have been killed in an Israeli double strike on Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, the territory's Hamas-run health ministry says. The journalists had worked with Reuters, AP, Al Jazeera and the Middle East Eye, the news outlets confirmed. Four health workers were also killed, the World Health Organization's chief said. Footage of the attack shows a second strike hitting rescuers who had arrived to help those targeted by the initial attack. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident a "tragic mishap" and said military authorities were "conducting a thorough investigation".3 bbc.com Open source