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August 28, 2025 – United Nations/Palestine –
In a deeply emotional address to the UN Security Council, Algeria’s ambassador Amar Bendjama broke into tears while reading a heartfelt farewell letter penned by Palestinian journalist Mariam Abu Daqqa, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital earlier this week. Abu Daqqa, an Associated Press visual journalist, had written the letter to her 13-year-old son, Gaith, just days before her death. Bendjama described her words as carrying “more truth than any official statement.”
The letter’s poignant message—”When I die, pray for me, not to cry for me. And when you grow… name her Mariam, after me”—left many in the chamber visibly moved. It served not only as a memorial but as a powerful testament to the human cost borne by journalists in conflict zones.
More than just a tribute, the reading underscored the systemic risks journalists face in Gaza. The strike that claimed Abu Daqqa’s life was one among several “double-tap” attacks targeting frontline media workers, raising urgent questions about the safety and sanctity of press operations in wartime.
Algeria’s emotional intervention highlighted an ongoing international concern: journalists are increasingly casualties of conflict, not merely observers. The address pressed upon UN members the moral imperative to defend press freedom and hold perpetrators accountable for targeting media workers.
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