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At least 20 Palestinians, including five journalists and a firefighter, were killed Monday in an Israeli airstrike on Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, according to health authorities and eyewitnesses.
The Israeli military conducted two separate strikes on the fourth floor of the hospital's emergency building, with the second attack occurring as rescue teams attempted to evacuate wounded and recover bodies from the first strike, the Gaza Health Ministry said.
The dead included Reuters photographer Hussam al-Masri, Al Jazeera cameraman Mohammad Salama, freelance journalist Mariam Abu Dagga who reported for The Associated Press and Independent Arabia, NBC News journalist Moaz Abu Taha, and freelance reporter Ahmed Abu Aziz.
The Israeli military confirmed the attack and said Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir ordered an immediate inquiry.
The military claimed it "regrets any harm to uninvolved civilians and in no way directs strikes at journalists."
United Nations Humanitarian Affairs spokesperson Olga Cherevko called the attack "absolutely horrific," stating that "the images on screens defy logic and reason. This is another attack on a health facility."
"This brings to an end the lives of journalists who have been killed in Gaza to 244," Cherevko said, referring to the toll since October 2023.
U.N. Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said the killing of journalists in Gaza "should shock the world" and "should not lead to stunned silence but to accountability and demands for justice."
"The killing of journalists in Gaza should shock the world – not into stunned silence – but into action, demanding accountability and justice. In a situation of war and famine, international journalists continue to be denied entry by Israeli authorities," Shamdasani said.
"And at least 247 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023. These journalists are the eyes and ears of the international community, and they must be protected. Their killings, and those of countless other civilians, must be independently, promptly investigated and justice must follow," she added.
"Journalists are not a target. Hospitals are not a target," she further added.
Spanish Foreign Ministry condemned the strike as "a clear and unacceptable violation of international humanitarian law that must be investigated," emphasizing that specially protected areas cannot be targeted.
Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani called on Israel to ensure the safety of journalists in the region, stating, "We believe the right thing is to ensure the safety of journalists and allow them to perform their duties in the Gaza Strip."
Türkiye's Health Minister Kemal Memisoglu condemned the attack, asking, "What kind of conscience justifies bombing a hospital? We strongly condemn the targeting of Nasser Hospital in Gaza by Israeli forces."
The second Israeli strike specifically targeted civil defense teams and journalists attempting to document the aftermath of the initial attack, according to witnesses. Egyptian television captured the second strike during a live broadcast.
The Palestinian Civil Defense reported that one firefighter was killed and seven team members were injured while attempting rescue operations.
"Journalists are not targets. Hospitals are not targets," Shamdasani emphasized, calling for independent investigation and immediate justice.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) strongly condemned the attacks and called for an urgent UN Security Council meeting to address what it called a "massacre" of journalists.
"Despite the protection of journalists being guaranteed by international law, more than 200 journalists have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in the past two years," said RSF Director General Thibaut Bruttin.
The Associated Press confirmed that Abu Dagga, 33, had been covering the humanitarian crisis at Nasser Hospital, reporting on doctors struggling to save severely malnourished children.
The Turkish Journalists' Association described the attacks as "genocide against journalists," noting that six journalists had been killed in Israeli strikes in the past week alone.
Al Jazeera called for "international pressure and urgent action" to prevent the silencing of Gaza's voice through systematic targeting of journalists, describing the attacks as war crimes under the Rome Statute and Geneva Conventions.
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The latest deaths bring the total number of journalists killed by Israel in Gaza since October 7, 2023, to 244, according to Gaza's Government Media Office, making it the deadliest conflict for media workers in modern history.
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