Two Israeli strikes hit a hospital in southern Gaza on Monday, killing four Palestinian journalists, a rescue worker and several more people, according to local officials.
The strikes on Monday killed Hussam al-Masri, who worked for Reuters, Mariam Abu Dagga, who worked for the Associated Press, the Al Jazeera journalist Mohammed Salam, and Moaz Abu Taha from NBC. Another Reuters journalist, Hatem Khaled, was also wounded in the attack.
Cameraman Hussam al-Masri, a Reuters contractor, was killed in the first strike, according to the officials.
A video from the news agency al-Ghad TV showed civil defence workers wearing bright orange vests and journalists being hit by a bomb while they were attempting to rescue the body of al-Masri, who was killed in an earlier strike on the fourth floor of the hospital. In the moments before their deaths, they raised their hands to shield themselves, but were killed by the explosion.
Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told journalists at the scene that "the death toll is 15, including four journalists and one civil defense member," according to the French news agency AFP.
The victims were killed in a double-tap strike on the hospital, with one missile hitting first, then another moments later as rescue crews arrived, the health ministry said.
The Gaza health ministry put the initial death toll at eight and said many more had been injured. The four journalists killed all had worked for international media outlets, local journalists said.
Asked about the strike and the journalists who were among the victims, the Israel Defense Forces issued a statement confirming the attack and adding that it would "conduct an initial inquiry as soon as possible," and that it regretted "any harm to uninvolved individuals and does not target journalists as such."
Israel has come under mounting pressure over the number of journalists being killed in its military operations in Gaza — including in targeted strikes against individuals whom Israeli officials claim were Hamas operatives.
The Associated Press' news director for the Middle East, Jon Gambrell, said in a social media post that Abu Daqqa had "freelanced for the AP since the Gaza war began."
Reuters confirmed that al-Masri had worked for the international news agency. It said photographer Hatem Khaled, who also worked as a contractor for the agency, was wounded.
At least one other journalist was wounded in the strike, a hospital official said, identifying the man as Haithem Omar, who also works for Reuters.
Israeli strikes and raids on hospitals are not uncommon. Multiple hospitals have been struck or raided across the Gaza Strip, with Israel claiming its attacks had targeted militants operating inside the medical facilities, without providing evidence.
On August 11, Israel's military targeted and killed five Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza, including correspondent Anas al-Sharif. The Israel Defense Forces said it had intelligence and documents from Gaza to prove al-Sharif was the head of a Hamas terrorist cell, and the IDF shared undated photos of Al-Sharif with Yahya Sinwar, the top Hamas leader in Gaza, who was killed last October.
A June strike on Nasser Hospital killed three people and wounded 10, according to the health ministry. At the time, Israel's military said it had targeted Hamas militants operating from a command and control center inside the hospital.
The Hamas-run health ministry said Sunday that at least 62,686 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its war in Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attack that killed some 1,200 Israelis and saw 251 others taken as hostages.
The ministry does not distinguish in its figures between fighters and civilians, but it says around half of those killed have been women and children. The U.N. and independent experts consider it the most reliable information available on war casualties, as such figures are difficult to independently verify as Israel does not permit foreign journalists into Gaza.
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