Five Journalists Among 20 Killed in Israeli Strike on Gaza Hospital
In yet another grim chapter of the ongoing war in Gaza, at least 20 people — including five journalists — were killed on Monday after Israeli strikes hit the Nasser Hospital complex in Khan Younis. The attack, which left widespread devastation, once again highlights the peril faced by civilians and reporters trying to document the war.
According to Gaza’s civil defence agency, the strike began with a drone attack on one of the hospital buildings. Moments later, as the injured were being rushed out, an airstrike followed, leaving bodies and chaos in its wake. Among the dead were not only patients and aid workers but also members of the press — journalists who had been risking everything to tell the world what was happening on the ground.
Civil defence spokesperson Mahmud Bassal confirmed the death toll, adding that one civil defence worker was also killed in the attack. “The toll so far is 20 martyrs, including five journalists and one member of the civil defence,” he said.
The Israeli military later issued a statement acknowledging that its troops had carried out a strike in the area of the hospital. It said that an internal inquiry would be launched “as soon as possible” and stressed that it does not intentionally target journalists. The statement added, “The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals.”
For international media outlets, the news of their colleagues’ deaths was devastating. Al Jazeera announced the killing of its cameraman, Mohammad Salama. In a strongly worded statement, the network accused Israeli forces of systematically targeting journalists in Gaza in an effort to silence reporting from the ground.
The Associated Press also confirmed the death of one of its contributors, Mariam Dagga, a 33-year-old visual journalist who had been working with the agency since the war began. “We are shocked and deeply saddened,” the AP said, describing her as a dedicated professional who helped bring untold stories to the world’s attention.
Reuters reported that its contractor, Hussam al-Masri, was killed in the strike, while another journalist working with the agency, Hatem Khaled, was injured. “We are devastated,” the agency said in its statement.
Two other journalists — Moaz Abu Taha and Ahmad Abu Aziz — were also named among the dead by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate. Abu Taha had worked with several Palestinian and international outlets, according to AFP correspondents in Gaza.
The loss of these five reporters adds to an already staggering toll. According to media watchdogs including the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders, nearly 200 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the war between Israel and Hamas began almost two years ago. That figure makes this one of the deadliest conflicts for media workers in recent history.
Journalists in Gaza have long been caught in an impossible situation — working under bombardment, often without adequate protection, yet determined to continue telling the world what is happening. Monday’s attack at Nasser Hospital is another reminder that for many of them, the cost of bearing witness has been their lives.
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