Israeli forces killed 5 Palestinian journalists on Monday in an airstrike on one of many few hospitals remaining in Gaza — an assault carried out regardless of growing world condemnation of Israel’s focusing on of Palestinian journalists and its ongoing ban on worldwide media from getting into the territory.
The Israeli assault on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis killed no less than 20 Palestinians and injured dozens extra, together with rescuers and medical workers, based on the Gaza Health Ministry. The army carried out what’s known as a double-tap strike: the primary missile hit the hospital’s roof and killed a Reuters journalist throughout his livestream, adopted by a second missile that hit first responders and reporters responding to the preliminary one.
The 4 journalists who had been initially killed whereas reporting from Nasser are Hussam al-Masri (Reuters), Maryam Abu Daqqa (Related Press), Moaz Abu Taha (Reuters) and Mohammad Salama (Al Jazeera). The fifth, Ahmed Abu Aziz (Center East Eye) died from wounds sustained within the assault. A sixth journalist, Hassan Douhan, was killed by Israeli forces on Monday in a separate incident inside Khan Younis.
“Palestinian journalists right now are crying. If I show you my colleagues that are sitting, between the reporting and between their live shifts, they’re trying to hold their tears,” Al Jazeera correspondent Hind Khoudary stated from Gaza. “They’re trying to find the words to describe what’s going on. Our colleagues were killed live on-air, and there’s no way there are any words to describe what’s happening. Every single day we’re mourning people.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday known as the assault a “tragic mishap” and stated the Israeli authorities “values” the work of journalists, medical workers and civilians. The assertion contradicts the prime minister’s baseless accusations that Palestinian journalists are literally members of Hamas, and ignores the fact that Israeli forces have, based on the UN, killed no less than 240 media staff in Gaza since October 2023.
The Israeli Protection Forces individually stated that authorities are investigating the bombing, although the army has a fame of not often holding Israeli perpetrators accountable. IDF spokesperson BG Effie Defrin repeated the unsubstantiated declare that Hamas militants function in hospitals like Nasser, which the IDF has focused a number of instances over the previous two years. However even when militants had been discovered to be inside a hospital, Israel would nonetheless violate worldwide regulation by bombing the establishment.
“I’m not happy about it. I don’t want to see it,” President Donald Trump stated when requested in regards to the assault. “But at the same time, we have to end that whole nightmare.”
Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu by way of Getty Photographs
Israel is already dealing with anger and condemnation from the United Nations, rights teams and a number of governments for the hospital airstrike and the killing of extra journalists, with some voices calling for sanctions in opposition to Israel. The army bombed a media tent close to Al-Shifa Hospital simply two weeks earlier, killing high-profile Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al-Sharif and his 4 colleagues.
“The blood of our martyred journalists in Gaza has not yet dried before the Israeli occupation forces committed another crime against” journalists, Al Jazeera stated.
As a result of Israel continues to dam entry to Gaza for overseas media — until they comply with a uncommon IDF-led guided tour — worldwide shops have closely relied on Palestinian civilians’ and journalists’ on-the-ground protection. Press freedom teams have warned that assaults on journalists may lead to Gaza experiencing a media blackout whereas Israel escalates its marketing campaign of violence.
“For the past 22 months, we have watched as healthcare facilities have been leveled, journalists silenced and healthcare workers buried beneath the rubble by the Israeli forces,” Medical doctors With out Borders (MSF) stated. “As Israel continues to shun international law, the only witnesses of their genocidal campaign are deliberately being targeted. It must stop now.”
