Mariam Abu Daqqa
مريم أبو دقة
Freelance visual journalist for The Associated Press · c. 1992–2025 · Nasser Hospital, Khan Younis
Mariam Abu Daqqa, 33, was one of five journalists killed in an Israeli 'double-tap' strike on Nasser Hospital that killed at least 20 people; a second missile hit journalists and rescue workers responding to the first strike, in an attack captured live on video.
Mariam Abu Daqqa, 33, was a freelance visual journalist from Khan Younis who worked with The Associated Press and other outlets, documenting displacement, hunger and daily life in southern Gaza since the war began — even after her brother and nephew were killed, and after sending her only son to safety abroad while she stayed to report.
On the morning of August 25, 2025, an Israeli strike hit the fourth floor of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, killing Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri, who had been filming from a staircase position regularly used by journalists. As rescue workers and journalists rushed to respond, a second missile struck the same spot — a “double-tap” attack broadcast live by a television crew filming across the street. Abu Daqqa was killed along with Al Jazeera photojournalist Mohammed Salama, journalist Moaz Abu Taha, and Ahmed Abu Aziz; at least 20 people died in all, including health workers and civil defense responders, Gaza health officials said.
The Israeli military said it had targeted a camera positioned by Hamas; Reuters said Israel was fully aware its journalists were filming from the hospital. The AP, which lost one of its own in her, remembered Abu Daqqa as a journalist who “lived what she covered.” The killing of five journalists in a single strike on a hospital drew condemnation from the UN, governments and press-freedom organizations worldwide.
Sources
Open questions
The Israeli military said the strike targeted a Hamas camera; Reuters said Israel was fully aware its crew was filming from the hospital, and press groups demanded an independent investigation.