As Maryam Abu Daqqa, a photojournalist for Independent Arabia, was climbing onto the emergency building at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip – to document the Israeli bombardment – an Israeli airstrike hit the building, claiming her life.
Two strikes hit the fourth – and top – floor of the emergency building in Nasser Hospital, which was a gathering place for journalists, firefighters, and patients. The second bomb hit the same spot as the first. Four other journalists were killed along with Maryam.
The toll of journalists killed during Israel’s 22-month-old war on Gaza is now 245 – the largest number of media personnel killed in a modern-day conflict.
Maryam Abu Daqqa joined Independent Arabia in early 2020 as a photojournalist covering the Gaza Strip. Over the years of her work with Independent Arabia, Maryam Abu Daqqa covered all Israeli military operations inside the Gaza Strip, particularly current war. She did not miss a single day of work after the conflict erupted on 7 October, 2023.
Since the outbreak of the war, Maryam Abu Daqqa donned her body armor, bade farewell to her only son, Ghaith, and set out with her fellow journalists to cover the war on a daily basis. Ghaith, would travel to the UAE, but Maryam insisted on remaining in Gaza to continue covering the war.
Throughout the fighting, Maryam continued to cover the events. Her work included photographing displacement, hunger, humanitarian stories, army ground incursions, and the aerial bombardment. She also filmed videos documenting the war.
Maryam lost her home and her journalistic equipment in the war, yet she did not stop her work documenting the events of the war and the human stories that the fighting left behind.
Maryam was tireless in her journalistic work, working day and night. “I witnessed her unparalleled energy in media coverage. She was present in every corner and at every media event,” says Tahseen Al-Astal, the deputy head of the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate.
The loss of the Independent Arabia photojournalist is a devastating blow to the journalistic community in Gaza, Al-Astal added. “She was deeply loved by her fellow journalists, and everyone attests to her talent and her perseverance despite the pressure she was under. She is a role model for her colleagues”.
During the war, Maryam’s mother fell gravely ill but could not find treatment in Gaza. She died in a hospital bed, and The loss of her mother hit Mariam hard. Despite this pain, she carried on with work.
Among the most painful episodes of her personal life was being compelled to photograph her fellow journalists who were killed in the Gaza war. With each colleague who fell, she would ask herself: “Will I be among the victims like my colleagues, or will I survive this massacre?”
Maryam’s brother, Sadik, recalled: “She was very gentle and sensitive. She always loved doing good for her family and neighbours. She cooperated with everyone, offering help without even waiting for a ‘thank you’ in return. Maryam is gone, and she took our hearts with her”.
Her father, Riad Abu Daqqa, held her body and wept bitterly: “I have lost my most precious daughter. My life was tied to her. She would call me constantly to check on me. Maryam has passed away, and it is a great loss for us and for journalists. Maryam was a noble example of humanity”.
Journalists gathered around Maryam’s body to bid her farewell in a moment of immense grief. They carried her coffin to burial in silence, with tears alone bearing witness to her passing.
With Maryam’s death, Independent Arabia, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, and the wider media community have lost a photographer of exceptional creativity, dedication, and sensitivity. As we bid her farewell, we reaffirm our determination to continue our journalistic mission — reporting stories and covering the developments of this war with independence, impartiality, professionalism, and skill, just as our colleague Maryam Abu Daqqa did.
