Israel hit the main hospital in southern Gaza with a missile and then fired a second strike as journalists and rescue workers rushed to the scene, killing at least 20 people, local health officials said Monday.
The first strike targeted the top floor of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Minutes later, as journalists and rescuers climbed an external staircase, a second missile struck the same location, said Dr. Ahmed al-Farra, head of Nasser’s pediatrics department.
Among the dead was 33-year-old Mariam Dagga, a visual journalist who worked for the Associated Press. Al Jazeera and Reuters confirmed that their journalists were also among the five killed.
Israel confirmed it had struck targets near the hospital, saying it would investigate and “regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals” while insisting journalists were not targeted. Israel has repeatedly claimed Hamas uses hospitals for military purposes without providing evidence.
The first strike at around 10:10 a.m. hit the hospital’s fourth floor, where operating rooms and doctors’ residences are located. The second strike killed 17 more people, including medical teams, rescuers, and journalists.
Israeli Airstrike on Southern Gaza hospital Kills 19, including journalists
A British doctor at the hospital described “chaos, disbelief, and fear” and said wounded people were leaving trails of blood. Nasser Hospital has faced repeated attacks during the 22-month conflict, with shortages of supplies and staff.
In other incidents, six Palestinians seeking aid at Al-Awda Hospital were killed by Israeli gunfire, and three others, including a child, were killed in a strike on a Gaza City neighborhood, the health ministry said.
The war has been one of the deadliest for journalists, with 192 killed, and over 1,500 health workers also dead, according to the U.N. The Gaza Health Ministry said at least 62,686 Palestinians have died since the conflict began, about half of them women and children.
The fighting started after Hamas militants abducted 251 people and killed around 1,200 civilians in the October 7, 2023 attack. Most hostages have been released, but about 50 remain in Gaza, with families concerned that a new Israeli offensive could endanger them further.