Netanyahu Expresses Regret After Israeli Strike On Gaza Hospital Kills Journalists

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office expressed deep regret on Monday over what it described as a “tragic mishap” after an Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza killed at least 20 people, including five journalists. Netanyahu said Israel values journalists and medical staff and stressed that the military operation was directed against Hamas.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed targeting the hospital area and said the chief of the general staff had ordered an inquiry. “The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and does not target journalists as such. It acts to mitigate harm to uninvolved individuals as much as possible while maintaining the safety of IDF troops,” the military added.

According to Reuters, the initial strike killed cameraman Hussam al-Masri, a Reuters contractor, near a live broadcasting position on an upper floor of the hospital in Khan Younis. Palestinian health officials reported a second strike followed, killing additional journalists, medics and rescue workers who had rushed to assist the injured.

The journalists killed included Mariam Abu Dagga, a freelancer for the Associated Press and other outlets; Mohammed Salama of Qatar-based Al Jazeera; Moaz Abu Taha, a freelance journalist occasionally published by Reuters; and Ahmed Abu Aziz. Photographer Hatem Khaled, also a Reuters contractor, was wounded.

A Reuters spokesperson said, “We are devastated to learn that cameraman Hussam al-Masri was killed in Israeli strikes on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Moaz Abu Taha, a freelance journalist whose work had occasionally been published by Reuters, was also killed, and photographer Hatem Khaled was wounded. We are urgently seeking more information and have asked authorities in Gaza and Israel to help us get urgent medical assistance for Hatem.”

The Associated Press said it was “shocked and saddened” by Abu Dagga’s death, noting she had frequently based herself at the hospital to cover stories including malnourished and starving children.

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the Palestinian presidency called on the international community, including the UN Security Council, to protect journalists and hold Israel accountable. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate condemned the strikes, describing them as “an open war against free media” aimed at intimidating journalists and preventing them from reporting on Israel’s actions. According to the syndicate, over 240 Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza since 7 October 2023.

The Committee to Protect Journalists said 197 journalists and media workers, including 189 Palestinians in Gaza, have been killed since the war began and urged the international community to hold Israel accountable for “continued unlawful attacks on the press”.

According to Reuters, Brigadier General Effie Defrin, an Israeli military spokesperson, said the IDF is obligated to investigate under international law and promised to present findings “as transparently as possible”. He added, “Reporting from an active war zone carries immense risk, especially in a war with a terrorist organisation such as Hamas, which cynically hides behind the civilian population.”

Separately, Nasser Hospital doctors reported that Israeli gunfire at a tent encampment in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis killed local journalist Hassan Dohan and injured others. Two weeks earlier, Israel killed Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al-Sharif and four other journalists, claiming Sharif worked for Hamas, which the broadcaster denied.

Reuters reported that the live video feed from the hospital, operated by Masri, abruptly went offline at the moment of the first strike. International media often broadcast live feeds from Nasser Hospital to show real-time developments on the ground.

Israel has barred foreign journalists from entering Gaza since the start of the 2023 conflict. Reporting throughout the war has been conducted by Palestinian journalists, many with years of experience working with international media, including wire services such as Reuters and the Associated Press.

Israel is also investigating the death of Issam Abdallah, a Reuters journalist killed in southern Lebanon by Israeli tank fire in October 2023, though no findings have yet been announced.

U.S. President Donald Trump, when asked for a reaction, said: “When did this happen? I didn’t know that. Well, I’m not happy about it. I don’t want to see it. At the same time, we have to end that whole nightmare.”

(With inputs from Reuters)