Five Journalists Killed in Israeli Strikes on Gaza Hospital
Khan Younis, Gaza Strip — Five journalists were killed and one wounded in two consecutive Israeli strikes on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza on Monday, according to local health officials. The attack, which witnesses described as a “double tap,” has intensified concerns about the safety of media workers in war zones and renewed international calls for accountability.
The artillery barrage struck the hospital compound twice in quick succession. The first hit the facility, followed by a second strike moments later on an exterior staircase frequently used by journalists as a workstation and vantage point. In total, at least 20 people were killed in the incident, officials said.
Among the dead were Mariam Dagga, 33, a freelance visual journalist; Mohammed Salama, a journalist; Hussam al-Masri, a cameraman working on contract; Moaz Abu Taha, a freelance journalist; and Ahmad Abu Aziz, also a freelancer. Photographer Hatem Khaled, another contractor, was wounded in the blast but survived. The identities of the 15 other victims have not yet been confirmed publicly.
Journalists Among the Dead at Nasser Hospital
The deaths highlight the precarious position of reporters in Gaza, where media workers have been repeatedly displaced, injured, or killed while attempting to document the war.
Mariam Dagga, one of the victims, had recently gained attention for her reporting on children receiving treatment for malnutrition at Nasser Hospital. Friends and colleagues noted that Dagga herself had been displaced several times during the conflict and often worked under grave personal risk to ensure stories from southern Gaza reached the outside world.
Local journalists say that the staircase where the second strike occurred had become a familiar gathering spot for field reporters, photographers, and freelance correspondents to upload files, charge equipment, and seek moments of relative safety while continuing to work. That location is now a site of mourning for Gaza’s shrinking press corps.
The Israeli Military Response
The Israeli military acknowledged responsibility for the strike, saying its forces were targeting what it identified as a Hamas surveillance camera mounted on the hospital’s roof. Military officials described the journalists’ deaths as a “tragic mishap,” reiterating that the army does not intentionally target media workers.
“Our operations are directed against terrorist infrastructure,” an army spokesperson said, expressing regret at what it called unintended harm to civilians and journalists.
Israel has previously accused Hamas of using civilian buildings, including hospitals, as cover for military activities. Gaza-based doctors and aid workers deny these claims, saying medical centers have become among the few remaining shelters for displaced families.
International Condemnation and Calls for Action
The killings provoked swift condemnation from press freedom groups, international organizations, and human rights advocates.
Reporters Without Borders urged the United Nations Security Council to convene an emergency session, describing the strike as part of a pattern of silencing independent voices in Gaza. The group emphasized that journalists play a critical role in documenting the humanitarian toll of the conflict and should be guaranteed special protections under international law.
A spokesperson for the U.N. human rights office said the attack underscored the urgent need for accountability mechanisms. “The targeting of journalists, intentionally or through reckless disregard, undermines the free flow of information. These deaths should trigger immediate investigations and justice for the victims,” the spokesperson said.
Advocates of press freedom point to the Geneva Conventions, which establish protections for civilians and media workers in conflict zones. They warn that repeated incidents erode public confidence that such protections are being enforced.
A Deadly War for Journalists
Monday’s strike adds to what has already become one of the deadliest conflicts for journalists in modern history. Since the war between Israel and Hamas began nearly two years ago, at least 189 Palestinian media workers have been killed by Israeli fire, according to Gaza press unions and international watchdogs.
The toll far surpasses that of earlier wars in the region and exceeds journalist casualties in decades of conflict in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria. By comparison, the Committee to Protect Journalists recorded 191 media workers killed during more than 20 years of war in Iraq — nearly the same number killed in Gaza in just 22 months.
The unprecedented losses have decimated Gaza’s once-thriving freelance press community. With major international news organizations unable to maintain permanent bureaus in the enclave due to access restrictions and security risks, local reporters have acted as frontline correspondents capable of transmitting firsthand testimony and images to a global audience.
Historical Context: Hospitals Under Fire
The attack on Nasser Hospital adds to a grim record of medical facilities becoming battlegrounds in conflicts involving Israel.
- During the 2014 Gaza war, multiple hospitals sustained heavy damage amid accusations by Israel that Hamas fighters used them as operational bases.
- In other regional wars, from Syria’s Aleppo to Ukraine’s Mariupol, hospitals have repeatedly found themselves at the center of controversy over strikes, with combatants each accusing the other of using civilian medical sites for military cover.
- Historical analysis shows that attacks on hospitals often galvanize international outrage, leading to intensifying scrutiny on rules of war and civilian protections.
Nasser Hospital, one of southern Gaza’s largest medical facilities, was already struggling with shortages of medicine, electricity, and supplies when the strike occurred. Doctors had been treating patients in hallways and tents after bombardments in northern Gaza forced thousands to flee south.
Regional and Economic Impact
The death of prominent journalists in Gaza carries not only humanitarian consequences but also broader regional implications.
Impact on Media Coverage
The destruction of Gaza’s journalist corps has hindered the ability of international outlets to verify facts independently. The reliance on fewer and fewer local reporters means gaps in information and an increased risk of disinformation circulating unchecked. Global organizations, from humanitarian agencies to foreign governments, depend on accurate media coverage to shape relief operations, diplomatic strategies, and policy responses.
Humanitarian and Economic Strain
Repeated strikes on hospitals compound the humanitarian disaster in Gaza. The health sector, already weakened by blockade restrictions on medical imports, faces collapse. Economic analysts warn that the destruction of civilian infrastructure reduces the region’s ability to recover once fighting subsides.
Neighboring Egypt, which borders southern Gaza, has also voiced alarm about the influx of displaced people and the devastation of healthcare centers that serve not only Palestinians but sometimes cross-border patients. Comparisons are being drawn between Gaza’s collapsing infrastructure and that of war-torn Lebanon in the 1980s, where hospitals took decades to rebuild.
Regional Stability
The killings also risk deepening mistrust between Israel and Arab states mediating humanitarian access. Jordan and Qatar, which support media development initiatives in the region, have called for stronger measures to protect journalists. Analysts suggest that repeated journalist deaths weaken soft-power diplomacy and fuel broader instability in an already volatile regional landscape.
Public Reaction
News of the strike spread rapidly across Gaza, where colleagues and relatives held impromptu vigils outside Nasser Hospital. Witnesses described scenes of chaos as surviving journalists tried to recover the equipment and personal belongings of their fallen peers while medical staff rushed to treat the wounded.
Online, Palestinian media workers posted tributes to their colleagues, sharing final photos and last dispatches. Internationally, press freedom advocates organized memorials in multiple cities, demanding stronger enforcement of international protections for war correspondents.
Looking Ahead
The deaths of Mariam Dagga, Mohammed Salama, Hussam al-Masri, Moaz Abu Taha, and Ahmad Abu Aziz add to a growing ledger of journalists killed in Gaza. Their passing underscores a troubling reality: in this war, the chances of media workers surviving appear increasingly grim.
While Israel maintains its strikes are aimed at militant infrastructure, the mounting toll on journalists raises fundamental questions about how wars are fought in highly populated urban areas. The international community faces mounting pressure to demand mechanisms of accountability and to enforce protections for those whose mission is to bear witness.
For Gaza’s remaining journalists, the risks are starkly evident. Yet despite the dangers, many say they will continue reporting — believing that their work is essential in ensuring that the voices of civilians trapped in the conflict are not silenced.
Word count: ~1,270