A 12-storeyed-building housing the News Media agencies in Gaza had been taken down by Israeli airstrike claiming it belonged to Hamas.

The building was used by US-based news media the Associated Press, Qatar-based news media Aljazeera and other news media, late Saturday.

The al-Jalaa building in Gaza was evacuated before the strike after the owner of the house got a warning of the strike.

A Palestinian journalist was wounded in the strike, Palestinian media reported, and debris and shrapnel flew dozens of yards away.

AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt called the strike "an incredibly disturbing development." He said a dozen AP journalists and freelancers had been in the building and had been evacuated in time.

"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," he said in a statement. "The world will know less about what is happening in Gaza because of what happened today."

 

The acting director-general of Al Jazeera Media Network, Dr. Mostefa Souag, called the strike "barbaric" and said Israel should be held accountable.