Four journalists were among at least 20 people killed Monday when Israeli missiles struck Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, according to Gaza health officials.
The first strike hit the top floor of a hospital building. Minutes later, as journalists and rescuers wearing orange vests rushed up an external staircase, a second missile struck the same spot, said Dr. Ahmed al-Farra, head of Nasser’s pediatrics department.
Among the dead was 33-year-old visual journalist Mariam Dagga, who freelanced for the Associated Press and other outlets during the war. The AP said it was “shocked and saddened” by her death, noting her work had recently focused on doctors struggling to save starving children inside Nasser. Dagga’s 13-year-old son was evacuated from Gaza earlier in the war. Independent Arabia also confirmed she had worked with them.
Al Jazeera confirmed that its reporter Mohammed Salam was killed in the strike, while Reuters reported that its cameraman Hussam al-Masri was killed and photographer Hatem Khaled wounded. The fourth journalist killed has not yet been identified.
The Israeli military acknowledged a strike in the hospital area and said it would investigate, adding that it “regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and does not target journalists as such.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) says at least 192 journalists have been killed in Gaza since the war began 22 months ago, making it one of the deadliest conflicts ever for media workers. By comparison, 18 journalists have been killed during Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Press freedom advocates say the scale of loss is unprecedented. Thibaut Bruttin, director general of Reporters Without Borders, said journalists have died in both indiscriminate bombings and in targeted strikes that Israel has admitted carrying out. “They are doing everything they can to silence independent voices that are trying to report on Gaza,” he said.
Earlier this month, Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif was killed in what Israel described as a targeted strike, accusing him of leading a Hamas cell, an allegation his employer dismissed as unfounded.
Israel has barred international reporters from entering Gaza, aside from occasional guided tours, leaving Palestinian journalists to carry the risks of documenting the war. Many face the same shortages of food and safety as the communities they cover.
The United Nations Human Rights Office condemned Monday’s killings, saying such attacks should “shock the world.” Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said: “The killing of journalists in Gaza should shock the world – not into stunned silence – but into action, demanding accountability and justice. Journalists are not a target. Hospitals are not a target.”
President Donald Trump also reacted to the attack, telling reporters that he is “not happy about it.”