Five journalists among victims of Israeli strike on Gaza hospital

An Israeli strike has hit southern Gaza’s main hospital, killing at least 20 people.

The victims on the fourth floor of Nasser Hospital died when one missile hit and was followed in the same spot by another missile moments later as rescue crews arrived, the health ministry said.

Khan Younis’ Nasser Hospital, the largest in southern Gaza, has withstood raids and bombardment throughout 22 months of war, with officials warning of critical shortages of supplies and staff.

Among the those killed were five journalists including 33-year-old Mariam Dagga, a broadcast journalist who had worked for The Associated Press since the start of the war.

Ms Dagga was a freelancer who recently reported on Nasser Hospital doctors struggling to save children with no prior health issues who were dying or wasting away from starvation. Al Jazeera and Reuters also confirmed their journalists and freelancers were among those killed.

The Israel-Hamas war has been one of the bloodiest conflicts for media workers, with at least 192 journalists killed in Gaza in the 22-month conflict, according to the Committee To Protect Journalists.

In addition to the 15 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 people trying to reach an aid distribution point in central Gaza were killed by Israeli gunfire in an incident that also wounded 15.

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 targeted militants operating inside the medical facilities, without providing evidence.

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.

The Hamas-run health ministry said on Sunday that at least 62,686 Palestinians have been killed in the war.

It does not distinguish between fighters and civilians but says around half have been women and children. The UN and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own.