Destruction of the al-Jalaa building

This page is subject to the extended confirmed restriction related to the Arab-Israeli conflict.The destruction of the al-Jalaa building occurred on 15 May 2021 in Gaza City, when the Israeli military levelled the complex because of its alleged use by Hamas during the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis.

[needs update] The event generated significant worldwide controversy as the building contained offices for Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, and other news outlets.

[4] On 15 May, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) targeted the al-Jalaa building in Gaza, among the occupants of which were Al Jazeera, the Associated Press, Ernst & Young, and other news outlets.

At 1:40 P.M., the Shin Bet and the IDF started dialing and texting civilians, including journalists, known to be in the building, forewarning them to evacuate before an imminent strike.

After discussing the new information for an hour Israeli military authorities decided to proceed with the strike on the grounds that, in their view, Hamas was using the presence of journalists as a human shield.

[23] On 7 June, Israeli ambassador to the US and representative to the UN Gilad Erdan told top Associated Press executives that Hamas had been developing a system to electronically jam Israel's Iron Dome defenses inside the building.