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At least 20 people were killed, including five journalists, in a double strike on Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry. The journalists, who worked for Reuters, AP, Al Jazeera and the Middle East Eye, were among those killed. Four health workers also died, the World Health Organization said.

Video footage from the scene showed a second strike hitting rescuers who had arrived after the first attack. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident a “tragic mishap” and said authorities were conducting a thorough investigation.

The deaths expand the toll on journalists in Gaza since the war began in October 2023 to nearly 200. The Committee to Protect Journalists has said Gaza has become the deadliest place for journalists in recent years, with more media personnel killed there in the past two years than in the rest of the world in the preceding three years.

International reporters have been largely barred from independent entry into Gaza, with some escorted in by the Israel Defense Forces under controlled access; much of the coverage still relies on local journalists and freelance reporters.

The Agency names reported include Husam al-Masri, Reuters’ cameraman, who was killed while operating a live feed from the hospital roof; Hatem Khaled, a Reuters contractor who was injured in the second strike. AP confirmed Mariam Dagga, a freelance journalist for it, was killed. Al Jazeera reported Mohammad Salama; Middle East Eye freelancer Ahmed Abu Aziz; and Moaz Abu Taha, a photographer who had worked with Reuters, among the dead.

The Hamas-run Civil Defence said one of its members was among the victims, while Hadil Abu Zaid of Medical Aid for Palestinians described the scene as “unbearable” after explosions tore through operating rooms near the ICU.

Reaction poured in from world leaders and humanitarian agencies. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the killings and called for a prompt, impartial investigation and an immediate ceasefire. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini voiced outrage at the loss of journalists, saying their reporting voices were being silenced amid children’s suffering. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he was horrified, and French President Emmanuel Macron called the attack intolerable.

The strike follows a separate incident two weeks earlier in which six journalists, including four with Al Jazeera, were killed in an Israeli-targeted attack near al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The conflict traces back to Hamas’s 7 October assault on Israel, which left about 1,200 dead and 251 taken hostage. Israel’s offensive has since caused a heavy civilian toll, with Gaza’s health ministry reporting more than 62,000 Palestinian deaths so far, a figure the United Nations considers reliable.

Source: Full Article BBC