Media Groups Demanding Answers After Israeli Airstrike

GOLODRYGA: But can you take us back to that day on Saturday? You have been working in that building for years. Had you ever experienced a warning like this before?

SAFWAT AL-KAHLOUT, AL-JAZEERA ENGLISH CORRESPONDENT: Well, 11 years working in the same, we — you could recognize everyone. As we say, we know what the neighbors cook, because it’s 11 years. So — and I have never seen anything suspicious or abnormal. In our building it’s divided — it consists of two parts, one residential and one commercial. The commercial one is for lawyers. Most of them is lawyers building, they call it, or royal — lawyer department. Anyway, in the building where we are, we have — where we were, it’s most residential than commercial. So we know most of the people there, and they know us, 11 years. Those who were born when I was — when I started to work in Al-Jazeera and frequenting at that office, today, they are 11 years and so on, those who are 11 years. Now they have children. So, we know we know each other. We have never seen any suspicious thing, anything abnormal. So that was really shocking, when the Israelis said that they know about military activities in this building. And this building is one of the most famous buildings in the Gaza Strip, because they have Al-Jazeera and they have the Associated Press. So it’s well-known. It’s a title for many, many people. So, if you want to tell somebody where to go, you tell him, you know this building, you go from this and that. So it is a title. This is an address, an important place for many Gazans. So it was shocking when we heard about the Israeli excuse and justification for bombarding 12-floor building in one hit.

GOLODRYGA: Can you describe what that evacuation was like? Israel is said to have called the owner of your building, saying that you have an hour to evacuate the building. Thankfully, no one was killed, and I don’t believe anyone was injured, but that’s still jarring to hear that you have just minutes to flee a building. What was that hour like?

AL-KAHLOUT: Traumatic.

GOLODRYGA: Yes.

AL-KAHLOUT: It’s everyday — it’s everyday daily affairs. You start the day preparing for the coverage, preparing for reporting, the equipment, the cameras, editing machines, all the equipment that you need for daily life reporting, especially — especially on heavy circumstances and the last escalation. So, it’s — the last thing that you are waiting for is somebody knock your door and say, guys, you have one hour to evacuate, because I received a warning from the Israelis.