An Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza on Monday killed at least 21 people, in what has been described as the latest deliberate attack on the besieged enclave’s decimated health system. The victims of the attack included five journalists, medical personnel, and rescue workers, adding to the staggering civilian death toll of the nearly two-year Israeli assault. This strike is part of a widening Israeli offensive into heavily populated urban centers, dramatically increasing the peril for Gaza’s trapped population.
Eyewitnesses, including the hospital’s head of pediatrics, described a “double-tap” attack, where a second projectile struck minutes after the first, targeting journalists and rescuers in orange vests as they rushed up an external staircase to help. Among the journalists killed were Mohammad Salama of Al Jazeera, Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri, and freelance journalist Mariam Abu Daqqa, who was working for the Associated Press. A sixth Palestinian correspondent, Hassan Douhan, was killed in a separate incident in Khan Younis later the same day.
The attack drew immediate and widespread global condemnation from press freedom organizations and human rights advocates. The UN Special Rapporteur, Francesca Albanese, decried the carnage, pleading with nations to “Impose an Arms Embargo. Impose Sanctions.” In response to the international outcry, key Israeli allies including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have called for a formal investigation into the incident.
The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to the deadly strike as a “tragic mishap” and stated that the military was investigating. However, critics noted this response is a familiar pattern following incidents that provoke international outrage, rarely leading to genuine accountability. The attack raises the number of Palestinian journalists killed in Gaza to at least 273 since October 2023 and follows numerous other targeted attacks on medical facilities, including the repeated and deadly raids on al-Shifa Medical Complex, Gaza’s main hospital.
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This latest atrocity occurs against a backdrop of a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Israeli attacks across the famine-struck territory killed at least 61 people on Monday, seven of whom were desperately seeking aid. Israeli forces have intensified their bombardment of Gaza City, destroying over 1,000 buildings since early August in an apparent bid to force nearly one million Palestinians south. Reports continue of Israeli troops routinely opening fire on starving civilians at controversial aid distribution points, with over 2,000 Palestinians reportedly killed while trying to secure food.
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Humanitarian agencies are issuing increasingly dire warnings, with the UN confirming that famine conditions are deepening, especially among children. An Oxfam adviser described the situation as a “singular humanitarian disaster and the worst crisis that I’ve ever been part of… by far.” Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump has predicted a “conclusive end” to the war within weeks, even as Washington’s full military and diplomatic support for Israel’s campaign continues unabated.
