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Four journalists working for international press outlets including the Associated Press, Reuters, and Al Jazeera, were killed on Monday by an Israeli strike on the Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza Strip.
The dead press professionals, who were all Palestinian, have been identified as Hussam al-Masri, a cameraman working for Reuters; Mohammed Salama, a photojournalist with Al Jazeera; and Mariam Abu Daqqa, a freelance journalist working with several media outlets including the Associated Press. The fourth one has not yet been identified.
The deaths were announced by the Gaza Health Ministry in a statement and confirmed by multiple media outlets including the A.P., Reuters, Al Jazeera and the BBC.
Gaza health officials said that there had been two strikes. The first targeted the fourth floor of the Nasser hospital, followed by a second strike in the same location as first responders rushed to recover the injured and dead. The journalists had arrived after the first strike close behind to witness and report what had happened.
“We are devastated to learn of the death of Reuters contractor, Hussam al-Masri, and injuries to another of our contractors, Hatem Khaled, in strikes on the Nasser hospital in Gaza today,” Reuters said in a statement.
“We send our deepest condolences and thoughts to Hussam’s family and loved ones. We are urgently seeking more information and have asked authorities in Gaza and Israel to help us get urgent medical assistance for Hatem. We will give an update when we have more information,” it added.
“This is among the deadliest Israeli attacks on journalists working for international media since the Gaza war began,” the Foreign Press Association that represents journalists working for international news organizations reporting from Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, said in a statement.
“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,” it added.
According to the the International Federation of Journalists at least at least 212 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed to date in the Israel-Hamas war.
An Israeli Defence Forces statement said the chief of the general staff has been instructed to conduct an initial investigation, Reuters reported.
“The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and does not target journalists as such,” it said in a statement. “The IDF acts to mitigate harm to uninvolved individuals as much as possible while maintaining the safety of IDF troops,” it added.
