Israeli strike on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital kills 15, including Four Journalists

At least 15 people, including four journalists, were killed on Monday after Israeli strikes hit Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, Gaza’s civil defence agency confirmed.

Spokesman Mahmud Bassal said, “The death toll is 15, including four journalists and one civil defence member,” following the attack on the medical complex.

He explained that an Israeli explosive drone first struck the hospital building before an airstrike hit as the wounded were being evacuated.

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said the reporters were “martyred in the line of journalistic duty, as a result of the Israeli bombing that targeted them at Nasser Hospital.”

Those killed were identified as photojournalists Hossam Al-Masri, Mohammad Salama, and Mariam Dagga, as well as journalist Moaz Abu Taha.

Qatar-based Al Jazeera confirmed that its cameraman, Mohammad Salama, was among the dead. AFP reported that the others worked with both Palestinian and international media outlets.

Associated Press said Dagga was a freelancer for the agency, though not on assignment at the time, while Reuters confirmed one of the slain and one injured journalist had worked with them as contractors.

Footage from AFP showed smoke, debris, and scenes of chaos outside the hospital as people rushed to rescue victims.

Bloodied bodies, severed parts, and injured survivors, including a woman in medical scrubs with a heavily bandaged leg, were carried into the hospital.

Due to restrictions and limited access, AFP said it could not independently verify the details provided by Gaza’s civil defence or the Israeli military, which noted it was still “checking the reports.”

Media watchdogs, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders, estimate that about 200 journalists have been killed since the Israel-Hamas war began nearly two years ago.

Earlier this month, an Israeli strike outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza killed four Al Jazeera staff and two freelancers.

The Israeli military claimed one of the victims, correspondent Anas al-Sharif, was part of a Hamas cell, but CPJ condemned the attack, stressing, “Journalists are civilians. They must never be targeted in war. And to do so is a war crime.”

The war erupted after Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel that killed 1,219 people, mostly civilians. Israel’s ongoing offensive has since claimed at least 62,686 Palestinian lives, largely civilians, according to Gaza’s health ministry figures, which the United Nations considers reliable.