Israeli strikes on a hospital in southern Gaza have killed at least 20 people, including five journalists, according to the Gaza health ministry and the media organisations the journalists worked for.
Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis was struck twice on Monday in what has been described as a “double-tap” attack.
The initial strike hit the top floor of a building at Nasser Hospital. Minutes later, as journalists and rescue workers rushed to the scene, a second missile struck the same location, according to Dr Ahmed al Farra, head of the hospital’s paediatrics department.
Al Jazeera, the Associated Press (AP), and Reuters said their journalists were among those killed.
A British consultant surgeon, who worked at the Nasser Hospital earlier this summer, described the attack on Monday morning as “barbarism in the extreme”.
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Consultant surgeon Professor Nick Maynard told Sky News it was a “typical double strike that the Israelis use frequently”. It targets an area, then hits it shortly afterwards, often when emergency services respond, he explained.
The Israeli military said its troops carried out a strike in the area of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis and that it would conduct an investigation into the incident. The military said it “regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and does not target journalists as such”.
In a further statement, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Effie Defrin said: “We are aware of reports that harm was caused to civilians, including journalists. I would like to be clear from the start – the IDF does not intentionally target civilians.
“The IDF makes every effort to mitigate harm to civilians, while ensuring the safety of our troops.”
He said forces were “operating in an extremely complex reality” and that Hamas “deliberately use civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, as shields”.
He said the findings of Israel’s investigation will be presented “as transparently as possible”.
Who are the journalists
Mariam Dagga, 33, a visual journalist who freelanced for AP during the war, as well as other news outlets, was killed in Monday’s strike.
AP said in a statement that it was shocked and saddened by the death of Dagga and the loss of other journalists.
Dagga, a mother of a 12-year-old son who was evacuated from Gaza earlier in the war, frequently based herself at Nasser, the news agency said. Most recently, she reported on the hospital’s doctors struggling to save starving and malnourished children.
“We are doing everything we can to keep our journalists in Gaza safe as they continue to provide crucial eyewitness reporting in difficult and dangerous conditions,” AP said.
Independent Arabia, the Arabic-language edition of The Independent, said it also collaborated with Dagga.
Al Jazeera confirmed cameraman Mohammed Salama was among those killed.
Mohamed Moawad, managing editor of Al Jazeera, spoke to Sky News from Doha, Qatar, after Mr Salama was killed.
“They were reporting closer to the hospital, knowing that was somehow safer than the frontline,” he said. “We’re talking about a crime against journalism.”
Reuters said in a statement that it was “devastated” after two of its journalists were killed at the Nasser Hospital, and one was injured.
Contractor cameraman Hussam al Masri was also killed in the strikes on Nasser Hospital, Reuters said.
Moaz Abu Taha, a freelance journalist whose work had been occasionally published by Reuters, was also killed. Photographer Hatem Khaled, a Reuters contractor, was wounded.
A fifth journalist, Ahmed Abu Aziz, who worked as a freelance reporter, succumbed to his wounds following the strikes at the Nasser Hospital.
One of the bloodiest conflicts for media workers
The Israel-Hamas war has been among the deadliest conflicts for journalists, with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reporting at least 192 media workers killed in Gaza during the 22-month-long conflict.
The CPJ says that 18 journalists have died so far in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Thibaut Bruttin, director general of Reporters Without Borders, said press freedom advocates have never witnessed such a significant decline in journalist safety. He said journalists had been killed in both indiscriminate bombings and deliberate attacks.
“They are doing everything they can to silence independent voices that are trying to report on Gaza,” said Mr Bruttin.
Israel has accused journalists in Gaza of ties to militant groups, as in the case of Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al Sharif, who was targeted and killed by Israeli forces earlier this month.
The Israeli military claimed Sharif led a Hamas cell, a charge both Al Jazeera and Sharif rejected as unfounded.
In the absence of direct access, news organisations largely depend on Palestinian journalists and local residents in Gaza to document and provide first-hand accounts of the events unfolding on the ground.
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Many journalists reporting from Gaza are enduring the same hardships as those they cover, including the daily struggle to secure food for themselves and their families.
“It is a particular burden that they carry, as well as living in a war zone,” Sky Middle East correspondent Adam Parsons said.
Additional casualties on Monday
In addition to the casualties at Nasser Hospital, medical officials in northern Gaza reported further fatalities resulting from strikes and gunfire along routes leading to aid distribution sites.
According to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, an airstrike on a neighbourhood claimed the lives of three Palestinians, including a child.
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Al Awda Hospital in Deir al Balah reported six people attempting to reach a central Gaza aid distribution point were shot and killed in Israeli gunfire. The hospital said 15 others were wounded in the incident.
The IDF has previously “strongly rejected” accusations it targets civilians – and maintained its forces operate near aid sites to stop supplies from falling into the hands of militants.
