Israel struck one of the main hospitals in the Gaza Strip on Monday and then hit the facility again as journalists and rescue workers rushed to the scene, killing at least 20 people and wounding scores more, local health workers said.
It was among the deadliest of multiple Israeli strikes that have hit both hospitals and journalists over the course of the 22-month war. The assault came as Israel plans to widen its offensive to heavily populated areas, vowing to destroy Hamas after its Oct. 7, 2023, attack.
Among the dead were five journalists, including 33-year-old Mariam Dagga, a visual journalist who worked for The Associated Press….
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A live broadcast of the first strike’s aftermath showed rescue workers on an external staircase trying to move a body while journalists documented the destruction. Then, at 10:17 a.m., a second strike hit. When the debris cleared, a separate, more graphic video showed the limp, dusty bodies of at least eight people scattered up and down the stairwell….
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The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that it had carried out a strike in the area of Nasser Hospital and that it “regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and does not target journalists as such.” Later, both the IDF spokesman, Effie Defrin, and the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military was investigating the attack.
Israel has killed scores of journalists in Gaza since it launched a ferocious military campaign in response to the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, 2023. Earlier this month, the Israeli military targeted and killed prominent Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif along with several colleagues outside al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
Britain, Germany and the United Nations all condemned the strikes, which Israel’s public broadcaster said were the result of Israeli tank fire. The IDF did not say whether the attacks were carried out by air or ground forces in the area. The spokesperson’s unit also declined to comment further when asked about the strikes’ target….
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Israel says it is investigating
Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, an Israeli military spokesman, said the army does not target civilians and had launched an internal investigation into the strikes. He accused Hamas of hiding among civilians but did not say whether Israel believed any militants were present during the strikes on the hospital….
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Netanyahu’s statement said: “Israel deeply regrets the tragic mishap that occurred today at the Nasser Hospital in Gaza. Israel values the work of journalists, medical staff, and all civilians.”
Israel has killed 189 Palestinian journalists during its campaign in Gaza, including some who were directly targeted and others who were killed among other strike casualties, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. More than 1,500 health workers have been killed, according to the U.N.
Israel’s “killing of journalists in Gaza continues while the world watches and fails to act firmly on the most horrific attacks the press has ever faced in recent history,” said Sara Qudah, CPJ regional director.
The Foreign Press Association, which represents international media in Israel and the Palestinian territories, called on Israel “to halt its abhorrent practice of targeting journalists.”
The U.N. secretary-general, along with Britain, France and others, condemned the attack. When asked about the strike, U.S. President Donald Trump initially said he was not aware of it before offering: “I’m not happy about it. I don’t want to see it.”
Trump later said he thought there might be a “conclusive ending” in Gaza in the coming weeks, without elaborating. It was not clear if he was referring to Israel’s coming offensive or to long-running ceasefire talks….