At least twenty Palestinians, including five journalists and firefighters, were killed and several others wounded in an Israeli attack on the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, health authorities and eyewitnesses confirmed.
The Israeli army shelled the top floor of the emergency room, known as the “Al-Yassin” floor, according to a report by Anadolu Agency journalists.
Medical sources told Anadolu Agency that the death toll at the Nasser Medical Complex had risen from eight to 20, after 12 more victims succumbed.
Gaza’s Health Ministry confirmed that 20 Palestinians, including patients, health workers, civil defense workers, and media crews, were killed in the attack, and several others were wounded.
The ministry said the Israeli army hit the fourth floor of one of the buildings in the complex with two airstrikes, noting that the second strike occurred as rescue teams were arriving to evacuate the wounded and recover the dead.
The official Palestinian television reported that its cameraman Hussam al-Masri was among the dead, while Qatari channel Al Jazeera confirmed that its photographer Mohammad Salama had also been killed.
A medical source, quoted by Anadolu, also confirmed the death of photojournalist Maryam Abu Dagga.
Photojournalist Moaz Abu Taha was also killed in the Israeli attack on the hospital.
Medical sources also confirmed to Anadolu that Ahmed Abu Aziz, a freelance journalist for Tunisian and Moroccan newspapers, died from injuries sustained in the Israeli attack.
The Palestinian Civil Defense said in a statement that the fire truck driver was killed in the attack and that seven other members of his team were injured while trying to rescue victims and recover bodies.
The new deaths bring the number of journalists killed in Gaza since October 2023 to 245, according to the Gaza Government Media Office.
The deadly attack on Palestinian journalists has sparked a wave of condemnation from media organizations.
The Associated Press confirmed that Abu Dagga, 33, a freelance journalist who had been reporting for the AP since the start of the war in Gaza, was among the dead.
Abu Dagga had been covering the humanitarian crisis at Nasser Hospital, reporting on doctors struggling to save children suffering from severe malnutrition despite having no pre-existing medical conditions, it said.
London’s Independent Arabia also mourned Abu Dagga, calling her “an example of courage and dedication in reporting the truth.”
Reuters also confirmed that two of its contractors were targeted in the Israeli strike: cameraman al-Masri, who was killed in the attack, and photographer Hatem Khaled, who was wounded.
Israel has killed nearly 62,700 Palestinians in attacks on Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide charge before the International Court of Justice over its war on the enclave.
