A double Israeli attack on Nasser Hospital in Gaza leaves at least 20 dead, five of them journalists.

BarcelonaFifteen days after Israel murdered Four journalists from the Qatari network Al-Jazeera, and two more in Gaza City, the Hebrew armed forces have once again killed the eyes that bear witness to their systematic genocide in the Strip. This time, in a double attack against Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, in the south of the Palestinian enclave, which has left at least 20 dead, according to sources from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Health. Among the wounded are also staff members and patients.

Among the victims are two journalists working for Al Jazeera, a Reuters reporter, another for the American network NBC, and another from a regional media outlet. Also killed were members of the Civil Defense team who were trying to rescue the wounded from the first drone attack. Nasser Hospital thus became the target of Israeli army bombing once again, according to local and international media. The center, which includes a maternity ward and intensive care units, was already operating at its limit due to the large influx of wounded and displaced patients, and is once again partially inoperable after Monday's bombing.

According to information gathered by Al Jazeera, the names of the five deceased journalists, all freelancers, are: Hossam al-Masri (Reuters photojournalist). The agency confirmed that he worked for it; Mohammed Salama (Al Jazeera photojournalist); Mariam Abu Daqa (documentary filmmaker and journalist for various media outlets, including The Independent Arabic and Associated Press, which also confirmed he worked for the agency) and Moaz Abu Taha (NBC). The fifth journalist to die as a result of his injuries is Ahmad Abu Aziz, another freelancer, who regularly contributed to the online outlet Middle East Eye. Reuters also confirmed that another of its contributors, photographer Hatem Khaled, is one of the injured.

According to videos released of the attack, two Israeli drones carried out separate attacks on the top floor of the fire escape stairs of the Al Yassine building of the hospital, from where journalists broadcast live almost daily for international news outlets, taking advantage of the best conditions.

The account of the events is particularly shocking. Hossam el Masri was on the hospital's roof when the first Israeli drone loaded with explosives hit and killed him, and also killed another civilian. Immediately, other journalists, patients, and members of the Civil Defense teams rushed to the scene to assist the victims and assess the extent of the damage. At that moment, a second attack struck the exact same location, causing more deaths and injuries. The scene was recorded and broadcast live on local and regional channels.

The images of this second attack, which we present in this recording, are extremely harrowing and capture the moment when several journalists and rescue team members were killed by Benjamin Netanyahu's army. According to medical sources, in addition to the 20 fatalities, dozens were injured.

Off duty

The shelling has rendered several wards and operating rooms in the hospital inoperable, worsening the health situation in the Strip. The hospital's director, Mohammed Saqer, told Efe in a telephone conversation that a medical student interning was among the dead. "The situation at the hospital is very serious and we are very sad," he explained.

Continuing with their usual rhetoric, the Israeli Defense Forces, the IDF, "regretted any harm to uninvolved individuals" and insisted, as they always do, that they do not target journalists as such, while once again announcing a new investigation to clarify the events. In fact, the attack on the hospital is based on the so-called "double strike" technique, which has been widely used by the Israeli army in recent months. The method aims to kill and destroy not only the people and the place where the first impact of the explosives (missiles or drones) occurs, but also seeks to end the lives of those who attended the first emergency response at the site of the original impact.

The number of news professionals killed in Gaza since the start of the war now exceeds 240, making this conflict the deadliest for news professionals in decades. However, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has documented a lower figure, around 180. In any case, the fact that the organization itself has reported that journalists have been directly targeted by Israeli attacks on at least 26 occasions demonstrates that this is by no means a pattern of intent to silence them.

The case of the death of the renownedPalestinian reporter Anas al Sharif, known as "the voice of Gaza," in the aforementioned attack two weeks ago, demonstrates this.

As usual, the Israel Defense Forces indicated in a statement that "the Chief of Staff has been instructed to conduct an initial investigation as soon as possible." Denying the reality of the facts and figures, the IDFI "regrets any harm to individuals not involved [in Hamas's actions] and does not attack journalists as such."

However, several human rights organizations and press associations have reiterated in recent months their urgent call to the international community to guarantee the safety of journalists in Gaza, but so far their demands have been ignored. Thus, the Foreign Press Association (FPA) in Israel and the Palestinian territories demanded "immediate" explanations from the Israeli army and Netanyahu for the "aberrant practice" of attacking journalists. The repeated attacks on medical centers and the repeated deaths of journalists have caused profound shock among the Palestinian news community, which says it lives in a state of permanent vulnerability. "It's a very hard day for journalists. Every week we mourn the deaths of colleagues. There is no protection for us," a visibly emotional Al Jazeera reporter denounced live on air.