Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned Israeli airstrikes on offices of media outlets in the Gaza Strip.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Friday denounced the attacks on media offices in the Gaza Strip.
“Israeli strikes targeted the Hajji Tower this morning in Gaza, which houses the offices of @AFP, @AlJazeera, @AinMedia and other local media,” the media watchdog wrote on X.
“RSF strongly denounces the ongoing Israeli assault on the press. Targeting the media is a war crime,” it stressed.
The Israeli army has widened its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since the surprise offensive by Hamas on Oct. 7.
More than 10,700 people have been killed in the conflict, including at least 9,227 Palestinians and more than 1,538 Israelis.
None of the eight AFP employees normally stationed in Gaza were at the office at the time as they had already been evacuated to the southern Gaza Strip, AFP said.
“AFP strongly condemns the strike on its office in Gaza City,” said agency head Fabrice Fries in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“The location of this office is known to everyone and has been pointed out several times over the past few days, precisely to prevent such an attack and to enable us to continue to provide images on the ground.”
In response to an AFP inquiry, an Israeli army spokesman said that Israel had not fired on the building where the office is located. Israel also rejected targeting hospitals, despite evidence proving otherwise.
An AFP employee on site said there was considerable damage, and that the projectile seemed to have entered the top floor of the office horizontally.
