Israeli air strikes hit media centres in Gaza

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2012/nov/19/gaza-journalist-safety

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Two buildings in Gaza City housing international media outlets have been badly damaged by Israeli air strikes. An Israeli military spokeswoman explained that its forces targeted the antennae of the building because it was used by Hamas's al-Aqsa TV.

In one strike, six journalists were wounded. One of them, an employee of the al Quds TV station, lost a leg. The two attacks, about five hours apart, struck the al-Shawa media centre and then the al-Shuruq media complex.

Aside from severe damage to al-Aqsa's office, the facilities of Sky News, ITV, the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV, al-Quds TV and Palestinian news agencies were badly affected. Russia Today (RT) reported that its office, along with that of its Arabic-language sister, Rusiya Al-Yaum, were destroyed. They were located on the top floor of the 11-storey al-Shawa building.

Several teams re-located to the fifth floor, where the Palestinian news agency, Maan, provided accommodation.

Avital Leibovich, an Israeli military spokeswoman, told Sky News: "The target was the Hamas facility. The media building was taken by Hamas to be used as human shields…

"Hamas chose, out of all the buildings in the Gaza Strip, to choose this building… to place its electronic infrastructure and communications on the rooftop. The target was on the roof and only that target was hit."

She added: "I say this to any civilian in Gaza: stay away from Hamas sites. This is my recommendation to the journalists as well as others."

Sky's Middle East correspondent Sam Kiley, who was in the building when it was hit, said: "What happened to us just illustrates in a general sense that no one in Gaza can feel safe."

He said it is hard for civilians to know exactly which locations are being used by Hamas. "It isn't easy for the 1.7 million Gazans to know what is considered a target by Israel and what is not."

Kiley explained that there is further confusion because Hamas is both the government and a militia. "It runs the hospitals, the sewage collection, the trash collection, the education department.

"Therefore it is very troubling for Gazans to try to figure out where Israel is going to lay the distinction in terms of what is a crossover between military and civilian activity."

The Foreign Press Association issued a statement saying it was "concerned" by the attacks. It pointed to a 2006 UN security council resolution condemning attacks on journalists in conflict zones.

<em>Sources:</em> Sunday Times/Sky News/Albany Tribune/Digital Journal