Over a dozen killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza hospital, including journalists, officials say
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| Over a dozen killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza hospital, including journalists, officials say |
More than a dozen Palestinians were killed in a pair of Israeli strikes on a hospital in southern Gaza, according to the Nasser Medical Complex, including journalists from multiple outlets.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said at least 20 people were killed in the attack on Monday, with many more injured.
Israel carried out back-to-back strikes on the hospital in Khan Younis separated by only a matter of minutes, the ministry said. The “double-tap” hits killed journalists, health workers, and emergency response crews who had rushed to the scene after the initial attack, the Nasser Hospital said.
Dr. Mohammad Saqer, a Nasser Hospital spokesman and head of nursing, said that five journalists and four health workers had died.
The journalists killed include Mohammad Salama, a cameraman from Al Jazeera, Hussam Al-Masri who was a contractor for Reuters, and Mariam Abu Dagga, who has worked with the Associated Press (AP) and other outlets throughout the war. Moath Abu Taha, a freelance journalist, was also killed, the hospital added.
The Israeli attacks hit a balcony on the hospital used by reporters for an elevated view of Khan Younis.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that it “carried out a strike in the area of” the hospital. The IDF said it “does not target journalists as such,” and that the military chief has instructed an initial inquiry to be opened as soon as possible.
The IDF statement does not acknowledge hitting the hospital directly, fails to mention the two consecutive strikes on the facility and makes no mention of what the military was targeting.
An Israeli security official with knowledge of the details of an initial inquiry said IDF forces identified a camera on the roof of the hospital that they claim was being used by Hamas to monitor the Israeli military.
The forces received authorization to strike the camera with a drone, the source said. But instead, Israeli forces fired two tank shells: the first at the camera and the second at rescue forces.
The details of the inquiry are a remarkable admission from an Israeli official that it intentionally targeted the first responders that arrived at the scene after the first strike.
Video from the scene shows Dr. Saqer holding up a blood-soaked cloth after the first strike when another explosion rocks the building, filling the air with smoke and sending people running for cover.
A live camera from Al Ghad TV shows emergency workers on a damaged staircase at the hospital when the second attack hits the building.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate condemned the attack, calling it a “heinous massacre perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces… which directly targeted media and journalistic crews.”
Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, said on social media: “Scenes like this unfold every moment in Gaza, often unseen, largely undocumented. I beg STATES: how much more must be witnessed before you act to stop this carnage?”
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