Report suggests potential Israeli military gunfire aimed at AFP office in Gaza
In a statement, Chetwynd explained that any form of attack on journalists or media institutions is extremely serious, and there's a strong possibility that either individual entities or media infrastructure were targeted in this specific case.
During the investigation, AFP looked into various aspects, including the shooting of its bureau in the city of Gaza on November 2nd. On this day, the server room on the eleventh floor of the building sustained significant damage. The employees had already been evacuated, but a camera positioned on the balcony of the tenth floor kept broadcasting live from the war zone, capturing the building being hit on camera.
From the examination of video and audio recordings, it seems plausible that the AFP building was hit by the Israeli army. The shooting was likely caused by an Israeli tank, according to the findings of the investigation. Several independent experts came to similar conclusions.
However, the Israeli army denied the accusations, stating that the AFP building was not attacked. They alleged that the damage might have been caused by a "shock wave or shrapnel" from another attack.
According to AFP's Information Director, Chetwynd, AFP does not possess evidence that Hamas members were present in the building on November 2nd or in the days leading up to it. Chetwynd also condemned the killing of over 100 journalists and media workers in the Gaza Strip in such a short time.
A total of 50 journalists from 13 media outlets were part of the four-month investigation, including the Israeli magazine "+972" and the Arab media group Arij based in Jordan. They examined thousands of hours of image and sound material from the Gaza Strip, including photos, videos, satellite images, and entries in online services. They also investigated numerous cases where journalists were killed or injured since the start of the war.
The investigators concluded that media workers and facilities, including the AFP bureau, may have been deliberately targeted by the Israeli army. In the investigated period, it is thought that at least four journalists, who were identifiable as such by their press vests, were probably killed or injured by drones. Furthermore, 14 journalists were killed, injured, or thought to have been targeted while wearing press protection vests. At least 40 journalists and media workers were killed in their homes in the Gaza Strip.
Laurent Richard, the co-founder of Forbidden Stories, stated that journalists in the Gaza Strip have long known that their press vests no longer provide protection. Worse still, they may even make journalists more vulnerable.
