Israeli strikes on Nasser Hospital kill 19, including four journalists

KHAN YOUNIS: Israeli strikes on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on Monday left at least 19 people dead, including four journalists working for international media outlets, according to Palestinian health officials. Dozens of others were wounded in the attack, which witnesses described as two consecutive strikes that hit the hospital compound.

Journalists among the dead

Health officials and Gaza’s Government Media Office confirmed that the victims included Husam al-Masri, a Reuters cameraman; Mohammed Salama, a photojournalist with Al Jazeera; Mariam Abu Daqa, who contributed to several outlets including the Associated Press and The Independent Arabic; and Moaz Abu Taha, a photographer working for NBC.

Reuters said al-Masri was killed in the first strike while operating a live video feed from the hospital. Footage from the agency showed the broadcast cutting off at the moment of the blast. Another Reuters photographer, Hatem Khaled, was injured in a second strike that hit as rescuers, journalists, and bystanders rushed to help the wounded.

The Associated Press confirmed Abu Daqa’s death, describing her as a 33-year-old freelancer who had been covering the war for the agency. Al Jazeera said Salama’s death brought the number of its staff and freelancers killed in Gaza to seven since the conflict began.

Strikes spark chaos

Eyewitnesses said panic swept the hospital after the first explosion, with people running in every direction as smoke poured from an upper floor. Ambulance sirens filled the air as rescue workers tried to reach the injured. But before they could finish evacuating the wounded, a second strike hit, killing more people, including one rescue worker.

Gaza’s Civil Defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said an explosive drone targeted a building inside the hospital, followed by an airstrike while patients and staff were being moved.

Rising toll of journalists

The Palestinian Journalist Syndicate said more than 240 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza since the war began on October 7, 2023. Monday’s strike is one of the deadliest single incidents involving reporters since the conflict erupted.

The Israeli military and the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not issue an immediate comment on the hospital attack.