Still wrecked from past Israeli raids, hospitals in northern Gaza come under attack again

By Isabel Debre, Julia Frankel and Lee Keath

This was a story that was months in the making. The idea first arose in December to document a series of raids Israel had conducted against hospitals across northern Gaza and examine the evidence Israel had presented for a Hamas presence at the facilities.

Mideast reporter Isabel Debre, since transferred to a post in South America, and Jerusalem-based reporter Julia Frankel worked exhaustively, contacting dozens of medical staff, patients and displaced people sheltering at hospitals despite the intense difficulties of contacting anyone in northern Gaza.

The result was a thoroughly documented account of the destructive and deadly sieges at six hospitals across the north. Cairo-based features editor Lee Keath provided guidance as they dug into the evidence that Israel had made public at each hospital concerning a Hamas presence. They found the evidence in general fell short of Israel’s sweeping claims of Hamas command bases hidden inside the hospitals.

Ted Anthony, director of new storytelling and newsroom innovation, edited a version of the story. But before it could be moved, fresh events overtook the report, with new raids on hospitals in the south and a second raid on the major al-Shifa Hospital. Meanwhile, the team was swamped with covering the war, leaving little time to focus. and the story looked in danger of being dropped. Digital news editors worked quickly on the presentation to get it out before the election.

The judges were impressed by accountability achieved through dogged reporting that overcame the difficulties of access in Gaza and a flexibility in reworking the material to keep it fresh and relevant.

The story was unique in looking at raids on lesser-known hospitals. It also juxtaposed that with a detailed look at Israeli claims that generally had been ignored in other media.

For giving important documentation of what happened during these raids, which had not been compiled elsewhere, Debre, Frankel and Keath earn this week’s Best of AP — Second Winner.

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