Why AP Journalist bombed by Israel lived with one kidney
Freelance Journalist, Mariam Dagga, who worked for Associated Press and other international media groups, lived with one kidney till she was bombed and killed by the Israeli occupation forces (IDF) Monday August 25, 2025
[Mariam Dagga's father Riyad Dagga (C), friends and relatives offering her funeral prayers in Gaza. (Inset) Mariam Dagga (Image: Family Handout via AP)]
Gaza: Freelance Journalist, Mariam Dagga, who worked for Associated Press and other international media groups, lived with one kidney till she was bombed and killed by the Israeli occupation forces (IDF) Monday August 25, 2025.
The reason why Mariam Dagga had just one kidney was because she had donated one of her kidneys to her ailing father Riyad Dagga. This has been confirmed by her sister Nada Dagga.
“She had given a kidney to our father before the war”, Associated Press cited Nada in its report.
Mariam Dagga was one of the five journalists killed by the Israeli occupation forces (IDF) during the bombing of the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, Gaza.
“A mother and a daughter”
Born in Khan Younis, Mariam Dagga studied journalism and graduated from the Al-Aqsa University in Gaza. She began working as a journalist in 2015, and was among the few women visual journalists covering the war in Gaza.
She is survived by a 13-year-old son who moved at the start of the war to the United Arab Emirates to live with his father.
When she wasn't working, she was often on the phone with her son, who wanted to return to Khan Younis to be with her, she told colleagues.
In her will, which Dagga had shared with a friend, she addressed her son directly, “Never forget me and remember that your mother did everything she could to make you happy, comfortable, and at ease.”
Due to the love she had for her son, Mariam Dagga is admired as a mother, and the extraordinary affection she showed by donating one of her kidneys to her father she is hailed as a model daughter.
“Most Ethical, Dedicated”
Mariam Dagga’s colleagues described her “most ethical” and “dedicated” to her work.
“She was among the most ethical, dedicated reporters and photographers”, Dagga’s Editor at the Independent Arabia media outlet, Adhwan Alahmari, said, lamenting the Israeli strike a “flagrant violation of international laws.”
Wafaa Shurafa, AP’s senior producer in Gaza who worked with Dagga daily, said she never hesitated to help anyone. Displaced from home, she was forced to move multiple times during the war, but she never stopped working.
“She was always ready,” said AP reporter Sarah El Deeb, who is based in Beirut.
“Dagga stayed close to Nasser hospital and was able to see through the cruelty of the war with the skills and patience to report on its cost to the people of Gaza, its doctors, children and mothers,” she said.
“Dagga never complained despite the severe hardships she faced, was always quick with a laugh, and was deeply respected and loved by her colleagues, friends and family”, Shurafa said.
Dagga had won an internal AP award for her recent coverage of malnourished children in Gaza recognizing the strongest work produced each week.
Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes on Nasser Hospital and deliberate targeting of journalists Monday have sparked worldwide outrage.
The Israeli occupation forces (IDF) have killed more than 240 journalists since October 2003, the number being the highest in any war.
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