Agencies-Gaza post
Al Jazeera marks Gaza office bombing ‘Nothing will stop us’
Israeli air aggression destroyed the Al-Jalaa building that hosted Al Jazeera’s bureau and The Associated Press office on May 15 last year.
Dust and debris plumed up into the air as the 11-story building, which also housed a number of homes and other offices, was leveled and pounded flat.
The attack sparked widespread anger. Al Jazeera condemned the bombing at the time, calling on “all media and human rights institutions to join forces” in condemning the bombing and to “hold the government of Israel accountable”.
Between May 10 and 21 last year, Israeli forces carried out a full-scale military offensive against the Gaza Strip that resulted in the deaths of 261 Palestinians, including 67 children and 41 women.
After the bombing, the Al Jazeera crew in Gaza – who lost most of their equipment – moved to several temporary headquarters over the past year in what they described as a time full of instability.
At Al Jazeera’s current office, visitors streamed in recently to offer their condolences for the loss of Al Jazeera’s veteran reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot and killed by Israeli forces in the Jenin refugee camp last week.
Wael Al Dahdouh, 53, director of the Al Jazeera bureau in Gaza, said it is still painful to remember the day when the team lost their office during the Israeli attack.
‘Got out right away
He recounted that afternoon: The team was out covering a nearby bombing when the owner of the building called to inform them that an Israeli official ordered an immediate evacuation because it was going to be bombed.
“It was a great shock, we thought the bombing of the tower in which we are located was very unlikely. It only hosted media offices, companies and the rest were residential apartments.”
“In those moments, I couldn’t think of anything. I told everyone to evacuate. We took what could take from the office and got out right away,” he said.
Wael and the residents were able to leave the building only minutes before the tower was bombed and crashed to the ground.
“The scene of the office being bombed while I was on air covering the news was one of the most difficult moments in my life. I was doing my job despite my sadness for all the memories of the office we spent 12 years in.
“This memory is linked to our efforts, our work, our equipment, and the archive that documented many memories and scenes,” he added.
After the bombing, Wael said the team moved to a hotel in western Gaza and were hosted by the AFP news agency to do their live coverage of the ongoing Israeli assault on the territory.
“We gathered our strength and continued to cover despite the dangers and hardships, and despite all the sadness, anger, and regret over losing the office,” Wael said.
Wael spoke intermittently as he received visitors who came to offer their condolences for the assassination of Abu Akleh.
“The anniversary of our office tower coincided with the loss of another tower of the press in Palestine, our colleague Shireen Abu Akleh,” he said.
“We were planning to mark our bombing anniversary with us getting up again and moving to a new office and celebrating. But losing Shireen made this joy incomplete.”
Source: Al Jazeera
