A fresh wave of outrage has erupted after an Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, killed at least 20 people, including five journalists, in one of the deadliest single attacks on media workers since the start of the Israel–Hamas war nearly two years ago.
According to the Hamas-run Civil Defence Agency, the attack came in two waves: an explosive drone hit a building at the hospital before a second strike targeted rescuers as they tried to evacuate the wounded. Civil Defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal confirmed the toll: “The martyrs so far are 20, including five journalists and one member of the civil defence.”
Among the victims was Mohammad Salama, a cameraman for Al Jazeera, and Mariam Dagga, 33, a freelance visual journalist who had contributed to the Associated Press since the start of the war. Reuters and Middle East Eye also confirmed that contributors linked to their networks were killed in the strike. It comes less than two weeks after Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif and four colleagues were killed near Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital.
The Israeli military acknowledged the strike in a statement on Sunday, saying it had carried out an operation “in the area of Nasser Hospital” and that the Chief of the General Staff had been instructed to open an initial inquiry. “The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and does not target journalists as such,” the statement read. But the explanation has done little to quell mounting anger.
International watchdogs reacted swiftly. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the strike, asking: “How far will the Israeli armed forces go in their effort to eliminate information coming from Gaza?” The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) noted that nearly 200 journalists have been killed since the war began in October 2023 — calling it “one of the most horrific attacks on the press in modern history.”
Sara Qudah, CPJ’s Regional Director, demanded an end to what she called a pattern of targeted killings. “Israel’s killing of journalists in Gaza continues while the world watches and fails to act firmly. These murders must end now. The perpetrators must no longer be allowed to act with impunity,” she said. Al Jazeera issued its own statement describing the deaths as part of “a systematic campaign to silence the truth.”
The strike came just days after the United Nations declared famine in Gaza — the first such declaration in the Middle East — further underscoring the deepening humanitarian catastrophe. With hospitals repeatedly targeted, patients, doctors, and now journalists continue to bear the brunt of a war that has left Gaza’s infrastructure in ruins and raised urgent questions about Israel’s compliance with international humanitarian law.
