The United Nations has demanded that Israeli investigations into unlawful killings in Gaza produce tangible results and ensure accountability, specifically citing Monday’s deadly “double-tap” bombing of Nasser Hospital. Speaking in Geneva on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the UN’s human rights office stated, “There needs to be justice,” adding that the staggering number of journalists killed in the 22-month war raises serious questions about the deliberate targeting of media workers.
The attack on Nasser Hospital, the last functional public hospital in southern Gaza, involved two strikes. Witnesses reported the second strike occurred just 15 minutes after the first, hitting rescue crews and journalists as they arrived to help the wounded, killing 20 people in total. The Israeli prime minister’s office called the incident a “tragic mishap” and announced an investigation.
On Tuesday, the Israeli military released initial findings, claiming its soldiers were targeting a Hamas surveillance camera and that six of those killed were “terrorists.” However, the statement failed to address why a “double-tap” strike was used against first responders and media, or if anyone would be held responsible for the civilian deaths, prompting the UN to reiterate its call for meaningful accountability.
This incident adds to what critics describe as a “pattern of impunity.” A recent report by Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) found that 88% of Israel’s investigations into alleged war crimes in Gaza are shut down or left unresolved. Israel’s military campaign has systematically targeted both medical facilities—damaging 33 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals—and journalists, with at least 247 killed, making it the deadliest conflict for the press ever recorded.
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The hospital bombing has amplified international pressure on Israel. French President Emmanuel Macron called the strikes “intolerable,” and on Tuesday, a group of 209 former EU ambassadors and senior diplomats published a letter demanding unilateral action, including the suspension of arms export licenses to Israel and the prosecution of indicted war criminals.
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Despite the global outcry, Israel is proceeding with a major military offensive to occupy Gaza City, a campaign expected to last up to five months. The Gaza health ministry reported 75 people killed in the last 24 hours. Humanitarian groups like Physicians for Human Rights have warned that orders to evacuate the city’s hospitals would be a “death sentence” for countless patients, as the population is already in the throes of a declared famine.
