Israel is facing international condemnation after back-to-back strikes on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, killed five journalists, medical workers, and other civilians on Monday.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, at least 20 people were killed, with many others injured, when Israeli forces carried out what observers have described as a “double-tap” strike—two consecutive attacks spaced minutes apart—on a hospital balcony used by journalists for reporting.

Dr. Mohammad Saqer, a hospital spokesman and head of nursing, confirmed that five journalists and four health workers died in the strikes. The journalists were identified as Mohammad Salama (Al Jazeera), Hussam Al-Masri (Reuters contractor), Mariam Abu Dagga (Associated Press and Independent Arabic), Moath Abu Taha (freelancer), and Ahmed Abu Aziz (freelancer). Gaza’s Civil Defense organization reported that one of its crew members was also killed.

Video from the scene showed medical workers and journalists documenting the aftermath of the first strike when a second explosion ripped through the building, causing chaos and panic.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) admitted striking the area, with spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin acknowledging that civilians, including journalists, were harmed. “The IDF does not intentionally target civilians,” he said, while describing the operating environment as an “extremely complex reality” and accusing Hamas of using hospitals for military purposes.

However, an Israeli security official revealed to local media that IDF forces had identified a camera on the hospital roof allegedly used by Hamas for surveillance, and that authorization was given to strike it. Instead, two tank shells were fired—one hitting the camera position and the other striking first responders who had rushed to the scene.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conceded the deaths of journalists and emergency crews, calling the incident a “tragic mishap” and promising an investigation. “Israel values the work of journalists, medical staff, and all civilians. The military authorities are conducting a thorough investigation,” he said.

The attack has been described by the Foreign Press Association in Israel and the Palestinian Territories as “among the deadliest Israeli attacks on journalists working for international media since the Gaza war began,” calling it a “watershed moment.”

UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the killings and urged that civilians, journalists, and medical personnel be “protected at all times.” The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) accused Israel of committing “unlawful killings” and possible “war crimes.”

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) also denounced the strikes, describing them as a direct assault on “the only partially functioning public hospital in southern Gaza,” where staff had been forced to shelter as the building was repeatedly hit.

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate called the attack a “heinous massacre” and accused Israeli forces of deliberately targeting media workers.

Since the start of the Gaza war, CPJ reports that 192 journalists have been killed, raising serious concerns about press freedom, accountability, and compliance with international humanitarian law.

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