Brave and tireless Maryam knew Gaza's pain first hand

Still shaken by grief, Ezz Al Din Abu Eisha remembers the skill and commitment of an Independent Arabia colleague

- Ezz Al Din Abu Eisha

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 airstrike hit the building, claiming her life.

Two strikes hit the fourth and top floors 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 number of journalists killed during Israel's 22-month-old war in Gaza is now nearly 200, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists – the largest number of media personnel killed in a modern-day conflict.

Maryam joined Independent Arabia early on as a photojournalist covering the Gaza Strip. Over the years, she covered all Israeli military operations inside the strip, particularly the current war. She did not miss a single day of work after the conflict erupted on 7 October 2023.