Tel Aviv: Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office said that it deeply regretted the unfortunate incident that occurred at the Nasser Hospital in Gaza. “Israel deeply regrets the tragic mishap that occurred today at the Nasser Hospital in Gaza,” the office said in a post on X. Israel respects the work of all citizens, including journalists and medical personnel. The announcement was made as Israeli offensives in the beleaguered enclave became more intense and Israel launched a “double-tap” strike on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, killing at least 21 Palestinians, including five journalists, medical personnel, and rescue workers. Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri, Al Jazeera’s Mohammad Salama, and Mariam Abu Daqqa, a freelance journalist for AP at the time, were among the journalists slain.
The attack “has sent the entire area into an absolute sense of chaos and panic… not only for passersby or people living in the vicinity of the hospital, but for the patients themselves, who are receiving treatment in one of the areas that must be protected under… international humanitarian law,” according to Tareq Abu Azzoum of Al Jazeera, who reported from Deir el-Balah.
According to Dr. Ahmed al-Farra, director of the pediatrics department at Nasser Hospital, the assault was a “double-tap,” with the initial blow striking the building’s top floor and a second missile hitting minutes later as rescuers and reporters hurried up an outside stairway.
The assault was denounced by Al Jazeera as having “a clear intent to bury the truth.” It is “an open war against free media, with the aim of terrorizing journalists and preventing them from fulfilling their professional duty of exposing its crimes to the world,” according to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate.
“Rescuers killed in line of duty,” said Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories. Every moment in Gaza, scenes like this take place, sometimes unobserved and mostly unrecorded. How much more must be seen before you take action to put an end to this slaughter, I implore you? Dismantle the blockage. Put an arms embargo in place. Put in place sanctions.
Since Monday morning, Israeli strikes in Gaza have killed at least 61 Palestinians, including seven charity workers. Since August 6, Israel has demolished 1,000 structures in Gaza City, burying hundreds beneath debris, according to Gaza’s Civil Defense. Rescue and humanitarian efforts have also been hampered by continuous bombing and barred access routes.
According to the al-Awda Hospital, Israeli shooting in central Gaza killed six relief workers and injured fifteen more. Three Palestinians, including a toddler, were killed in a separate strike, according to Al-Shifa Hospital. Gaza’s Ministry of Health verified more than 2,000 Palestinians had been killed and around 13,500 injured while attempting to get help at distribution stations or along UN and humanitarian convoy routes, according to Al Jazeera.
In a warning on the worsening of child malnutrition, the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said, “With famine conditions now confirmed in Gaza governorate, hunger and malnutrition among children are deepening… without proper nutrition, water, and care, their condition worsens more quickly.” As the humanitarian response adviser for Oxfam in Gaza, Chris McIntosh called the situation “truly a singular humanitarian disaster and the worst crisis that I’ve ever been part of… by far.”
“It’s got to get over with because between the hunger and all of the other problems – worse than hunger, death, pure death – people [are] being killed,” US President Donald Trump said, predicting a “conclusive end” to the conflict in two to three weeks. The increasing number of journalists and civilian casualties has been brought to light by Al Jazeera’s coverage, which has also emphasized the recurring targeted strikes on media and medical institutions.
