Another airstrike on Gaza by Israel's military destroyed a high-rise building in Gaza City that housed offices for the Associated Press and other media outlets on Saturday. All AP employees and freelancers were able to evacuate the building to safety.
The White House said Saturday that the safety of reporters covering the Israeli strikes on Gaza ‘is a paramount responsibility.'
The AP's President and CEO Gary Pruitt released a statement saying, "we are shocked and horrified that the Israeli military would target and destroy the building housing AP's bureau and other news organizations in Gaza. They have long known the location of our bureau and knew journalists were there. We received a warning that the building would be hit.
We are seeking information from the Israeli government and are engaged with the U.S. State Department to try to learn more.
This is an incredibly disturbing development. We narrowly avoided a terrible loss of life. A dozen AP journalists and freelancers were inside the building and thankfully we were able to evacuate them in time.
The world will know less about what is happening in Gaza because of what happened today."