GAZA – A terrible “double-tap” attack on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on Monday murdered 20 people, five of whom were journalists for major foreign news organizations. The first wave of strikes caused a lot of deaths, and then a second strike killed rescue workers and journalists who had hurried to the area just moments later. This most recent tragedy adds to the long list of media workers who have died since the war started on October 7, 2023. The official media bureau in Gaza says that at least 246 journalists have died, but an Al Jazeera count says that figure is even higher, at 273.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are looking into what happened and say they “regret any harm to uninvolved individuals” and do not “target journalists as such.” The IDF, on the other hand, has repeated its long-held accusation that Hamas uses hospitals and other civilian facilities as shields. Benjamin Netanyahu’s office in Israel called the attack a “tragic mishap” and said that “Israel values the work of journalists, medical staff, and all civilians.”
The five journalists that died in the incident have been named as:
Hossam Al-Masri was a photojournalist for Reuters.
Mohammed Salama works as a photojournalist for Al Jazeera.
Mariam Abu Daqqa was a freelance journalist who wrote for a number of news organizations, such as the Associated Press. According to the AP, she was often seen at Nasser Hospital and had just written about how hard it was for medical professionals to save starving youngsters.
Moaz Abu Taha was a freelance journalist whose work was sometimes published by Reuters.
Ahmad Abu Aziz is a freelance journalist who works for a number of news organizations, such as Quds Feed Network.
On Monday, Israeli soldiers shot and murdered another journalist, Hassan Douhan, in a different incident in the Mawasi Khan Younis neighborhood.
International news organizations have been angry and sad over what happened. A spokeswoman for Reuters said they were heartbroken at the murders of their contractor Hussam al-Masri and freelance journalist Moaz Abu Taha. They also called for immediate medical help for their injured photojournalist, Hatem Khaled. Al Jazeera called the incident a “horrific crime” and part of a “systematic campaign to silence the truth.” The Associated Press said it will protect its journalists in Gaza as they do “crucial eyewitness reporting.” The UN Secretary-General, as well as the UK, Canada, and Spain, have also condemned the strikes and asked for an immediate ceasefire and a full inquiry.