Israel’s military denies targeting journalists, says it ‘regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals’
Israeli military orders inquiry into strike on Gaza hospital that killed 5 journalists
A statement from the Israel Defence Forces confirmed it struck the area of Nasser hospital in Gaza, an attack that killed five journalists who worked for the Associated Press, Reuters, Al Jazeera and others. The IDF said it ‘regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and does not target journalists as such.’
An Israeli strike hit a southern Gaza’s main hospital Monday, killing 19 people, Zaher al-Waheid, the head of the Gaza Health Ministry’s records department.
The victims on the fourth floor of Nasser Hospital were killed when one missile hit and was followed in the same spot by another missile moments later as rescue crews arrived, the ministry said.
Khan Younis’s Nasser Hospital, the largest in southern Gaza, has withstood raids and bombardment throughout 22 months of war, with officials citing critical shortages of supplies and staff.
Among those killed were five journalists, including 33-year-old Mariam Dagga, a visual journalist who had worked for The Associated Press since the start of the war. Dagga was a freelancer who recently reported on Nasser Hospital doctors struggling to save children who’d had no prior health issues yet were dying or wasting away from starvation.
Al Jazeera confirmed that its journalist Mohammed Salam was among those who were killed in the Nasser Hospital strike. Reuters reported that its contractor cameraman Hussam al-Masri was also killed in the strike.
The others were identified as Moaz Abu Taha, a freelance journalist who worked with several news organizations including occasionally contributing to Reuters, and Ahmed Abu Aziz.
The Israeli military said its troops carried out a strike in the area of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis and that it would conduct an investigation into the incident. The military said it “regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and does not target journalists as such.”
The chief of the general staff of the military had ordered an inquiry, Reuters reported.
Fatalities also reported at a food distribution point
In addition to those killed at Nasser Hospital, hospital officials in northern Gaza also reported deaths from strikes and gunfire along the route to aid sites. Three Palestinians, including a child, were killed in a strike on a neighbourhood in Gaza City, where Israel is preparing for a broader ground invasion in the coming days, Shifa Hospital said.
Al-Awda Hospital reported six aid-seekers trying to reach a distribution point in central Gaza were killed by Israeli gunfire in an incident that also wounded 15.
Palestinians gather outside Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday following Israeli strikes. Israel’s military said it would conduct an inquiry into the strike. (AFP/Getty Images)
Israel’s military did not immediately respond to a question about the aid seekers. Israeli strikes and raids on hospitals are not uncommon.
Multiple hospitals have been struck or raided across the Gaza Strip, with Israel claiming its attacks had targeted militants operating inside the medical facilities.
A June strike on Nasser Hospital killed three people and wounded 10, according to the health ministry. At the time, Israel’s military said it had targeted Hamas militants operating from a command and control centre inside the hospital.
A March strike on the hospital’s surgical unit days after a ceasefire broke down killed two people.
CBC