Israeli airstrikes on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza have killed at least 20 people, including five Palestinian journalists. According to eyewitnesses, Israel carried a double-tap strike on the hospital. A drone initially hit the hospital’s roof, killing one journalist setting up a live stream. Then another strike hit journalists and rescue workers who were responding to the initial strike. During a live broadcast, Al-Ghad TV filmed the second strike on the hospital.
Al-Ghad TV reporter: “Just now, just now, the civil service is lost! Oh god! They’ve killed these people!”
The journalists killed in the Israeli strike have been identified as Hussam al-Masri, a photojournalist with the Reuters news agency; Mohammad Salama, a photojournalist with Al Jazeera; Mariam Abu Daqqa, a freelancer who worked with the Associated Press; Moaz Abu Taha, a photographer; and Middle East Eye freelancer Ahmad Abu Aziz.
On Saturday, another journalist was killed in Gaza: Mohammed al-Madhoun, who worked at Palestine TV. At least 244 journalists have now been killed in Gaza over the past 23 months.
Today’s attack on Nasser Hospital came a day after Israeli forces killed at least 64 Palestinians, mostly in the north, as Israel moves to take over Gaza City and forcibly remove the city’s entire population. Officials in Gaza say Israel has recently destroyed more than 1,000 buildings in the Zeitoun and Sabra neighborhoods of Gaza City.
Meanwhile, health officials in Gaza say 11 more Palestinians, including two children, have died from malnutrition over the past 24 hours. At least 300 Palestinians have starved to death. On Friday, the U.N. formally declared a famine in the Gaza Strip.