The director of the Al-Jazeera network denounced a “war crime” and an attempt to “silence the media” after Saturday’s bombing of the building by the Israeli army housing the Qatari television station and other media outlets.
Israel has been bombing the Palestinian enclave under the control of the Islamist movement Hamas since Monday, launching rockets at the Jewish state in retaliation for the violent crackdown on Palestinian protesters in East Jerusalem late last week.
In Gaza, a particularly densely populated area under Israeli blockade, Palestinian authorities reported 145 dead, including 41 children, and about 1,100 wounded in the bombings.powered by Rubicon Project
“The destruction of Al-Jazeera offices and other media outlets at the Al-Jalaa Tower in Gaza is a clear violation of human rights and is considered an international war crime,” said Mustafa Swag, the Qatari group’s interim general manager.
“The aim of this horrific crime is to silence the media and to cover up the massacre and the untold suffering of the people of Gaza,” he said.
The channel quoted Yumna al-Sayyid correspondent as saying that the army had given the owner of the high-rise building an hour to evacuate. The owner had unsuccessfully asked for more time, he said.
“No place in Gaza seems safe anymore,” al-Sayed said.
Al-Jazeera news director Asif Hamidi told AFP that the channel would take “all measures to (prosecute) Israel”, adding that “the most important response is to continue to cover the events”.
Journalists saw the 13-story tower, which also houses the Associated Press (AP), hit by several rockets.
The Israeli army had previously demanded that the building be evacuated.
The AP said it was “shocked”. “About ten AP journalists and freelancers were in the building and fortunately we were able to remove them in time,” said Gary Pruitt, chairman and chief executive officer. “People will be less informed about what is happening in Gaza because of what happened today (Saturday),” he said.
