Alghadeer TV Alghadeer TV
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have destroyed a building where offices of international media outlets, including Associated Press and Al Jazeera, were located.
The building hosting the media offices collapsed following a series of massive explosions apparently caused by the Israeli strikes, footages shows.
And now bombs could fall on our office. We ran down the stairs from the 11th floor and now looking at the building from afar, praying Israeli army would eventually retract. https://t.co/WU2eLEX7kn
— Fares Akram (@faresakram) May 15, 2021
When the building owner asked the IDF for some more time to let the journalists retrieve their equipment, the Israeli military denied the request, Linah Alsaafin, an Al Jazeera producer, said in a tweet.
? Israel has given a “warning” that it will bomb the building that houses Al Jazeera offices and other international media channels in Gaza City in one hour…our colleagues have already evacuated
— لينة (@LinahAlsaafin) May 15, 2021
The tower also housed a number of other offices as well as some apartments.
It is not the first time Israel has targeted the Gaza buildings housing various media outlets. Earlier this week, the IDF also struck two high-rise towers hosting some 20 media outlets, prompting accusations of deliberate attempts to silence the local press.
The developments come amid an ongoing violent standoff between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza. The conflict was prompted by an Israeli court decision to evict several Palestinian families from an East Jerusalem neighborhood and initially led to massive protests and clashes between the demonstrators and the police.
At least nine Israelis perished in rocket fire, while Gaza health officials reported over 100 killed on their side.
