Al Jazeera accuses Israel of war crime after tower housing its Gaza offices destroyed
An Israeli airstrike destroyed the Al Jalaa Tower, a high-rise in Gaza that housed the offices of multiple media outlets in the region, including Al Jazeera and The Associated Press, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas continued Saturday. The Israeli military warned people to evacuate the building, and there do not appear to be any reports of casualties; AP has said its staffers are safe.
BREAKING: An Israeli airstrike levelled the Jala Tower in the Gaza Strip, a 13-floor building housing Qatari television station Al-Jazeera and the American news agency Associated Press. pic.twitter.com/pqeebSAfyO
— euronews (@euronews) May 15, 2021
AP reported that there was no immediate explanation for why the building was targeted, but Israel has since said it contained "military assets belonging to the intelligence offices of the Hamas terror organization."
Gary Pruitt, AP's president and CEO, said the organization is "shocked and horrified" by the strike. "We narrowly avoided a terrible loss of life," he said, adding that "the world will know less about what is happening in Gaza because of what happened today."
Al Jazeera responded to the incident, as well, calling for international condemnation of Israel's actions, which the publication called a "blatant violation of human rights" and a "war crime," although American attorney Mark Zaid said that accusation could be complicated if it turns out Hamas was using the media as a "shield" for what would otherwise be a "legitimate target."
"The destruction of Al Jazeera offices and that of other media organizations in Al Jalaa tower in Gaza is a blatant violation of human rights and is internationally considered a war crime."
— Kamahl Santamaria (@KamahlAJE) May 15, 2021
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