Mariam Dagga

Their life

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

How they died

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.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Mariam Dagga, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources