Five journalists among 20 killed in Israeli double strike on hospital

An Israeli twin hit on the Nasser hospital in southern Gaza’s Khan Yunis has killed at least 20 people, including five journalists for the foreign media, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry. The news organizations verified that the journalists had collaborated with Reuters, AP, Al Jazeera, and the Middle East Eye.

According to the head of the World Health Organization, four medical personnel were alsoslain.

Rescuers who had arrived to assist victims targeted by the initial attack are struck by a second strike, according to footage of the incident. Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, described the event as a “tragic mishap” and stated that military officials were “conducting a thorough investigation.”

With the most recent killings, there have been about 200 journalists killed in Gaza since the conflict began in October 2023.

The war in Gaza has been the deadliest battle for journalists in history, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a prominent organization that advocates for press freedom. According to the report, more journalists have been killed there in the last two years than have been killed globally in the previous three.

Since the beginning of the conflict, Israel has prohibited independent foreign journalists from accessing the Gaza Strip.

International media sources rely on local reporters for most of their coverage in Gaza, but the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have allowed some journalists to enter the territory under regulated conditions.

A doctor is seen on camera at the entrance to the hospital, which is the main one in southern Gaza, holding up bloody clothing to reporters after the initial attack on Monday. Then there’s a blast, and glass breaks and people start to scramble for shelter. It shows a man hurt in the explosion attempting to pull himself to safety.

In another horrific footage, which was broadcast live by al-Ghad TV, numerous emergency personnel are seen responding to the initial strike close to the top floor of Nasser Hospital while several journalists record the action in the background.

AP said Mariam Dagga, a freelance journalist working for it, was also killed. The news agency said it was “shocked and saddened” by the 33-year-old’s death.

The others killed were Al Jazeera’s Mohammad Salama, Middle East Eye freelancer Ahmed Abu Aziz and photographer Moaz Abu Taha. US TV network NBC said Taha did not work for it, as had been initially reported. Reuters said he had worked with several news organisations, including Reuters.

The Hamas-run Civil Defence said one of its members was among those killed, AFP news agency reported.

Hadil Abu Zaid, a programme officer for British-based charity Medical Aid for Palestinians, said in a statement sent to media that she was visiting the ICU “when explosions tore through the operating theatre right next to us”.