The incident comes just two weeks after another six journalists perished in an Israeli attack
Five journalists were among at least 20 people killed on Monday in an Israeli “double tap” airstrike on Nasser Hospital, the largest medical facility in the southern Gaza Strip, according to local health authorities.
The attack on the hospital came in two waves, with the second strike hitting first responders and reporters at the scene. The second strike was captured by an extremely graphic livestream by Jordan-based Alghad TV. The munition directly hit people gathered on an external stairwell of the hospital, frequently used by media to film views across the Khan Younis area in southern Gaza.
The journalists killed in the strike have been identified as Hussam al-Masri, of Reuters, Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Salama, Mariam Dagga, from The Associated Press, Ahmad Abu Aziz, of the Middle East Eye, and Moas Abu Taha. The latter was initially reported to have worked with NBC, but the US-based broadcaster denied the affiliation.
🚨BREAKING :A video documents a horrific Israeli crime: targeting ambulance and civil defense crews as they were rescuing victims and the wounded after Israel bombed Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis among them was journalist Hossam al-Masri. pic.twitter.com/hKlZGBIpoa
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it had conducted the strike in the area of the hospital, yet provided no detail on the intended target of the attack. The Israeli military said it “regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and does not target journalists as such” and promised to “conduct an initial inquiry as soon as possible.”
Two weeks ago six journalists, including four reporters with Al Jazeera, were killed in an Israeli attack in the vicinity of al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. At the time, the IDF claimed it had targeted Anas al-Sharif, a prominent Al Jazeera reporter, claiming he had been operating “as the head of a terrorist cell in Hamas.” No conclusive evidence to support the allegations was presented.
The number of Al Jazeera journalists killed by Israel in Gaza amid the conflict with the Palestinian militant group Hamas has risen to 10, after today’s incident, while the total death toll of reporters now exceeds 240.
The latest attack has been strongly condemned by rights groups and international media organizations. The Foreign Press Association called on “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,” the London-based organization said in a statement.
