This incident occurs merely two weeks after six other journalists were killed in an Israeli assault.
According to local health authorities, five journalists were among at least 20 individuals who died on Monday in an Israeli “double tap” airstrike targeting Nasser Hospital, the principal medical facility in the southern Gaza Strip.
The assault on the hospital unfolded in two stages, with the subsequent strike impacting first responders and journalists already present. The second strike was documented in a particularly graphic livestream from Jordan-based Alghad TV. The ordnance directly struck individuals gathered on an external stairwell of the hospital, a location frequently utilized by media outlets to capture footage of the Khan Younis area in southern Gaza.
The journalists who lost their lives in the strike have been named as Hussam al-Masri from Reuters, Mohammed Salama of Al Jazeera, Mariam Dagga from The Associated Press, Ahmad Abu Aziz representing the Middle East Eye, and Moas Abu Taha. While Abu Taha was initially reported to be affiliated with NBC, the US-based broadcasting company has since refuted this claim.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed its execution of the strike in the hospital’s vicinity but refrained from detailing the intended target of the assault. The Israeli military stated it “regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and does not target journalists as such” and committed to “conduct an initial inquiry as soon as possible.”
Just two weeks earlier, six journalists, including four reporters from Al Jazeera, were killed in an Israeli attack near al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. On that occasion, the IDF asserted it had targeted Anas al-Sharif, a notable Al Jazeera reporter, alleging he was operating “as the head of a terrorist cell in Hamas.” No conclusive evidence was provided to substantiate these claims.
With today’s incident, the number of Al Jazeera journalists killed by Israel in Gaza during the conflict with the Palestinian militant group Hamas has now climbed to 10, while the overall death toll for reporters now surpasses 240.
This most recent attack has drawn strong condemnation from human rights organizations and international media bodies. The Foreign Press Association appealed to “Israel once and for all to halt its abhorrent practice of targeting journalists.”
“This is among the deadliest Israeli attacks on journalists working for international media since the Gaza war began,” stated the London-based organization in a communiqué.