Israel’s bombardment of Gaza’s Nasser Medical Complex killed at least 19 Palestinians, including four journalists, in what authorities in the enclave denounced as a deliberate massacre aimed at silencing media voices exposing the occupation’s crimes.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health said the victims were killed on the fourth floor of the hospital in Khan Younis during a double-tap strike — one missile first, then a second moments later as rescuers rushed to help.
Among the dead were Al Jazeera’s photojournalist Mohammad Salama, Reuters photographer Hussam al-Masri, journalist Mariam Abu Daqqa, and reporter Moaz Abu Taha, according to Gaza’s Government Media Office.
Reuters confirmed that al-Masri’s live feed from the hospital cut abruptly at the moment of the strike. The agency also said its photographer Hatem Khaled was wounded in the assault.
“The journalist colleagues were martyred when the Israeli occupation committed a horrific crime by bombing a group of journalists who were on a press coverage mission,” the Government Media Office said.
It blamed not only Israel but also the United States, Britain, Germany and France, for complicity in the genocide.
Al Jazeera condemned the killings as “a clear intent to bury the truth,” stressing that despite relentless targeting, it will continue reporting on “the Israeli genocide in Gaza.”
The slain journalists leave behind grieving families. Salama had recently married fellow reporter Hala Asfour, while Abu Daqqa is survived by a 12-year-old son.
The killings come just weeks after Israeli forces assassinated Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif and four of his colleagues near al-Shifa Hospital.
Since October 7, 2023, at least 273 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza, according to Al Jazeera’s tally.
Israel admitted striking near Nasser Hospital but issued only a brief statement claiming it “does not target journalists,” offering no explanation or evidence for its attack.
The Nasser Medical Complex, Gaza’s largest hospital in the south, has faced repeated bombardment throughout nearly two years of war, with most hospitals and schools already reduced to rubble by Israeli raids.