Israel struck the area of Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza on Monday, killing at least 20 people, including five journalists, Palestinian health officials said. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged hitting the vicinity of the facility in Khan Younis and said the army chief had ordered an inquiry.
Cameraman Hussam al-Masri, a Reuters contractor, was killed near a live-broadcast position on an upper floor of the hospital, officials said. Hospital staff and witnesses said a second strike followed, killing additional journalists, medics and rescue workers who had rushed to the scene.
The journalists killed were named as Mariam Abu Dagga, a freelancer who worked with the Associated Press and other outlets; Mohammed Salama of Al Jazeera; Moaz Abu Taha, a freelance reporter who contributed to several organizations including occasionally to Reuters; and Ahmed Abu Aziz. Reuters photographer Hatem Khaled, also a contractor, was wounded.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office called the incident a “tragic mishap,” saying Israel “deeply regrets” the deaths and values the work of journalists and medical staff, while stressing its war is with Hamas.
“The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and does not target journalists as such,” the military said, adding it would investigate and “present our findings as transparently as possible.”
Reuters said it was “devastated” by the death of al-Masri and the wounding of Khaled, and noted Abu Taha’s occasional contributions. “We are urgently seeking more information and have asked authorities in Gaza and Israel to help us get urgent medical assistance for Hatem,” a spokesperson said.
U.S. President Donald Trump, told of the strike at the White House, said he was “not happy about it,” adding: “I don’t want to see it. At the same time, we have to end that whole nightmare.”
The Associated Press said it was “shocked and saddened” by the deaths, noting Abu Dagga had frequently reported from Nasser Hospital, including on malnutrition among children.
In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the Palestinian presidency urged the U.N. Security Council and the United Nations to protect journalists and hold Israel accountable. The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate called the incident “an open war against free media,” and said more than 240 Palestinian journalists have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. The Committee to Protect Journalists put the toll at 197 journalists and media workers killed since the war began, including 189 Palestinians, and called for accountability.
In a separate incident on Monday, doctors at Nasser Hospital said Israeli gunfire at a tent encampment in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis killed local journalist Hassan Dohan and wounded others.
Two weeks earlier, Israel killed Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al-Sharif and four other journalists in a strike; Israel said it deliberately targeted Sharif and accused him of working for Hamas, a claim the broadcaster denied.
The Reuters live video feed from Nasser Hospital—operated by al-Masri—cut out at the moment of the initial strike. Global news agencies routinely provide such live feeds from major events; Reuters has broadcast regularly from Nasser during the conflict.
Israel has barred foreign journalists from entering Gaza since the war began in 2023. Reporting from inside the enclave has relied on Palestinian journalists, many of whom work with international outlets. Israel is also investigating the October 2023 death of Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, killed by Israeli tank fire in southern Lebanon; no findings have been announced.