Gaza hospital strike fatalities include 5 journalists

GAZA CITY (AFP) — Gaza’s civil defense agency said five journalists were among at least 20 people killed Monday when Israeli strikes hit a hospital in the south, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressing regret over the “tragic mishap.”

Reuters, the Associated Press and Al Jazeera all issued statements mourning their slain contributors, while the Israeli military said it would investigate the incident.

The ongoing war in Gaza has been one of the deadliest for journalists, with around 200 media workers killed over the course of the nearly two-year Israeli assault, according to media watchdogs.

Civil defense spokesperson Mahmud Bassal said “the toll so far is 20 martyrs, including five journalists and one member of the civil defense,” after strikes hit Khan Yunis’s Nasser Hospital — a large medical complex that has been targeted several times by Israel since the start of the war.

In a statement, the Israeli military said its troops had “carried out a strike in the area of Nasser Hospital.”

“The Chief of the General Staff instructed to conduct an initial inquiry as soon as possible,” it said, adding it “regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and does not target journalists as such.”

Bassal said an Israeli explosive drone hit a building at the hospital, followed by an air strike as the wounded were being evacuated.

Netanyahu said in a statement Monday evening that his country “deeply regrets the tragic mishap that occurred today at the Nasser Hospital.”

“Israel values the work of journalists, medical staff, and all civilians,” he added.

Reuters reported that video journalist Hussam al-Masri — a contractor who was working for the agency — was operating a live feed at the hospital, “which suddenly shut down at the moment of the initial strike.”

A Reuters spokesperson said the agency was “devastated” to learn of Masri’s death “and injuries to another of our contractors, Hatem Khaled” in the strikes.

“We are urgently seeking more information and have asked authorities in Gaza and Israel to help us get urgent medical assistance for Hatem,” the statement added.