Israeli bombings destroyed a Gaza building that housed media offices
GAZA (Monitoring Desk) On Saturday, Israeli military air attacks in Gaza destroyed a 13-story building that held the media offices of the Associated Press and Al Jazeera, both of which are based in the United States. Al Jazeera reported in a tweet that Israel “destroyed Jala Tower in the Gaza Strip, which houses Al Jazeera and other international press offices,” with an Associated Press writer reporting the Israeli army had alerted the tower’s owner ahead of the strike.
“The airstrike happened about an hour after the Iraqi army commanded the building’s residents to escape,” the Associated Press reports.The reason for the attack on the structure was unknown at the time. The Associated Press, Al Jazeera, as well as offices and residences, are housed in the building.
The explosives fell on their office, according to AP Gaza correspondent Fares Akram. We raced down the 11th-floor stairwell and are currently standing outside the building, praying that the Israeli army will finally retreat, he wrote.
Lina AlSaafin, an AJ producer, tweeted about the warning, claiming that their office had been given an hour and that their coworkers “had already evacuated.” The tweet was sent at 4:13 p.m., according to the time stamp (Pakistan Standard Time).
After the Israeli air hit, Al Jazeera transmitted footage of the building crashing to the ground, sending up a massive mushroom cloud of dust and rubble. Jawad Mehdi, the owner of the Jala Tower, reported he was given one hour to ensure the building’s evacuation by an Israeli intelligence operative.
AFP overheard the police pleading for an extra 10 minutes to allow journalists to gather their devices before departing on the phone. “It’s bad, extremely awful, to attack Al Jazeera and other press bureaux,” Wael al-Dahdouh, Al Jazeera’s bureau head in Gaza, told AFP.
Because of what occurred recently, the world will know less about what is going on in Gaza,” it concluded. According to Gaza’s health departments, Israeli air and gun attacks in Gaza have killed 139 Palestinians, including 39 children, and injured 1,000 more.
