Israel has launched a series of attacks on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, with local health authorities reporting at least 20 people have been killed, including five journalists.
The second strike on the fourth floor of the facility in Khan Younis was broadcast live on television, as rescue crews scoured the building to evacuate people killed and injured from the first strike minutes earlier.
Reuters contractor cameraman Hussam al-Masri, was killed in the initial strike, according to officials. Reuters said its live video feed from the hospital, which was operated by him, suddenly shut down at that moment.
Mariam Abu Dagga, who the Associated Press said freelanced for the AP, and journalist Moaz Abu Taha were killed in the second strike while inspecting the scene.
Mohammed Salama who was a photojournalist with Al Jazeera was also killed and Ahmad Abu Aziz later died from injuries sustained in the attack.
Photographer Hatem Khaled, who is also a Reuters contractor and could be seen in the live broadcast footage wearing a red shirt and taking photos of the damage when the second strike hit, was wounded.
"We are devastated to learn of the death of Reuters contractor Hussam al-Masri and injuries to another of our contractors, Hatem Khaled, in Israeli strikes on the Nasser hospital in Gaza today," a Reuters spokesperson said in a statement.
"We are urgently seeking more information and have asked authorities in Gaza and Israel to help us get urgent medical assistance for Hatem," the spokesperson added.
AP said it was "shocked and saddened to learn" Abu Daqqa had been killed. The journalist had a 12-year-old son who was evacuated from Gaza earlier in the war.
"Mariam regularly based herself at the hospital for coverage," the agency said in a statement.
"Her recent work included strong stories of starving and malnourished children in Gaza. She freelanced for the AP and other news outlets.
"We are doing everything we can to keep our journalists in Gaza safe as they continue to provide crucial eyewitness reporting in difficult and dangerous conditions."
One of deadliest attacks on journalists in Gaza
The Foreign Press Association said it was "outraged and in shock" at the killings of "journalists from several major international news outlets".
"This is among the deadliest Israeli attacks on journalists working for international media since the Gaza war began," it said in a statement.
"These strikes hit the exterior staircase of the hospital where journalists frequently stationed themselves with their cameras. The strikes came with no warning.
"We demand an immediate explanation from the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli Prime Minister's Office. We call on Israel once and for all to halt its abhorrent practice of targeting journalists.
"This has gone on far too long. Too many journalists in Gaza have been killed by Israel without justification.
"Israel continues to block international journalists from independent access to Gaza. This must be a watershed moment."
The UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani condemned the strikes, saying: "Journalists are not a target. Hospitals are not a target."
"The killing of journalists in Gaza should shock the world — not into stunned silence but into action, demanding accountability and justice," she added in a statement.
UNRWA's Commissioner-General also reacted with outrage, saying "the world’s indifference and inaction is shocking".
"Silencing the last remaining voices reporting about children dying silently amid famine," Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X.
He called for the "manmade famine" to be undone by allowing aid in without restrictions and the protection of journalists, humanitarian and health workers.
"Like Hannah Arendt said: 'The death of human empathy is one of the earliest and most telling signs of a culture about to fall into barbarism.'
"This cannot be our future new norm. Compassion must prevail … Time for political will. Not tomorrow, now."
Turkey's presidential communications office called the strikes "an attack on press freedom and another war crime".
"Israel, which continues its atrocities without regard for any humanitarian or legal principles, is under the illusion that it can prevent the truth from being revealed through its systematic attacks on journalists," Burhanettin Duran, head of the communications directorate, said in a post on X.
The Hamas government media office said it was another example of "the systematic targeting, killing, and assassination of Palestinian journalists" by Israeli forces.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate condemned Israel for the strikes, saying it represented "an open war against free media, with the aim of terrorising journalists and preventing them from fulfilling their professional duty of exposing its crimes to the world."
More than 240 Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza since the war started on October 7, 2023, according to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not immediately respond to the ABC's questions about the attacks.
It later released a short statement admitting "IDF troops carried out a strike in the area of Nasser Hospital" and said an "initial inquiry will be conducted".
"The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and does not target journalists as such. The IDF acts to mitigate harm to uninvolved individuals as much as possible while maintaining the safety of IDF troops."
The statement does not address questions about how many times Israeli forces attacked the hospital, or why the hospital was targeted at all.
Israeli media is reporting that security sources say the IDF "received permission to neutralise the camera" which was being used to film its troops, which then escalated into a wider attack. The sources said the attack did not come from the air but rather from a tank.
Journalists regularly congregate near hospitals in Gaza, given they are some of the few facilities with semi-regular power and internet access.
Earlier this month the IDF killed Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al-Sharif, described by his colleagues as one of the bravest journalists in Gaza.
'Systematic destruction of health system'
In a statement the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said medical personnel, patients and civil defence personnel were also among those killed, in addition to dozens of injuries.
"The bombing has caused panic and chaos, disrupted operations in the operating room, and deprived patients and the wounded of their right to treatment," it said in a statement.
"[It's] a continuation of the systematic destruction of the health system and the continuation of genocide. It is a message of defiance to the entire world and to all values ??of humanity and justice."
"The Ministry of Health issues a distress call to protect what remains of health services and calls on the international community and all concerned institutions to take immediate and urgent action to protect humanitarian personnel in Gaza."
"The international silence and failure to take real measures to curb the occupation and stop its crimes is an effective partnership and a declaration that this crime will continue."
The head of the World Health Organization called for attacks on healthcare facilities to stop
"While people in Gaza are being starved, their already limited access to health care is being further crippled by repeated attacks," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X.
"We cannot say it loudly enough: STOP attacks on health care. Ceasefire now!
He said 50 people had also been wounded in the strikes, including critically ill patients who had already been receiving care.
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, rendering it the last functioning public hospital in the area.
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, without providing detailed 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.
The war began when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages.
At least 62,686 Palestinians have been killed since, according to Gaza's Ministry of Health. It does not distinguish between fighters and civilians but says around half have been women and children.
ABC with wires
