Israeli Strike on Gaza Hospital Kills 20 Including 5 Journalists

• At least 20 people, including five journalists, died in a strike on Nasser Hospital.
• Reuters, Al Jazeera, and the Associated Press confirmed the deaths of their contributors.
• Gaza’s civil defence agency alleges a drone strike was followed by an air strike.

GG News Bureau
Southern Gaza, 25th Aug: A Gaza civil defense agency reported that an Israeli strike on a hospital in southern Gaza killed at least 20 people on Monday, including five journalists. The attack on Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis drew swift condemnation from international media outlets, including Reuters, the Associated Press, and Al Jazeera, which all confirmed the deaths of their contributing journalists.

According to a civil defense spokesperson, an Israeli explosive drone first hit a building at the hospital, followed by an air strike as first responders were evacuating the wounded.

The Associated Press identified one of its freelance visual journalists, Mariam Dagga, as among the victims. Reuters mourned the death of its contractor Hussam al-Masri and the injury of another, Hatem Khaled.

A spokesperson for Qatar-based Al Jazeera also confirmed that one of its photojournalists, Mohammad Salama, was killed in the attack. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate named two more victims: Moaz Abu Taha and Ahmad Abu Aziz.

The Israeli military confirmed its troops “carried out a strike in the area of Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis.” The IDF statement expressed regret for any harm to uninvolved people and stated that it does not intentionally target journalists.

Media watchdogs, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), have reported that approximately 200 journalists have been killed during the conflict. The CPJ has repeatedly stated that journalists should never be targeted in war.

The war began after Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians. Since then, Israel’s military offensive has killed over 62,744 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.