Israeli airstrikes on the Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza on Monday killed at least 20 people, including five journalists, in what health officials and press freedom groups have condemned as one of the deadliest assaults on media workers in recent history. The attack began when a missile struck the top floor of the hospital in Khan Younis, killing several people including Reuters journalist Hussam al-Masri. Minutes later, as rescuers and journalists rushed to the scene, a second strike hit the same spot, a tactic widely described as a “double tap” strike. Live footage from AlGhad TV showed c

Israeli airstrikes on the Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza on Monday killed at least 20 people, including five journalists, in what health officials and press freedom groups have condemned as one of the deadliest assaults on media workers in recent history. The attack began when a missile struck the top floor of the hospital in Khan Younis, killing several people including Reuters journalist Hussam al-Masri. Minutes later, as rescuers and journalists rushed to the scene, a second strike hit the same spot, a tactic widely described as a “double tap” strike. Live footage from

AlGhad

TV

showed civil defense workers and reporters attempting to shield themselves just before the blast killed them.

Nasser hospital's damaged floor after the Israeli strike. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images via The Guardian

Among the dead were Mariam Abu Dagga, 33, a freelancer who had been working for the

Associated

Press

; Mohammed Salam of Al Jazeera; photojournalist Moaz Abu Taha; and Ahmad Abu Aziz of Quds Feed. Another

Reuters

journalist, Hatem Khaled, was wounded. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) confirmed the killings, noting that at least 193 Palestinian journalists have been killed since October 7, 2023, far exceeding the global toll on the press in recent years. “This is one of the most horrific attacks the press has faced in recent history,” said CPJ’s regional director Sara Qudah, calling on the international community to act. Reporters Without Borders chief Thibaut Bruttin added: “They are doing everything they can to silence independent voices that are trying to report on Gaza.” Global leaders reacted sharply. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he was “horrified” by the hospital strike, adding: “Civilians, healthcare workers and journalists must be protected. We need an immediate ceasefire.” French President Emmanuel Macron called the attack “intolerable,” while U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters: “I’m not happy about it.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the strike as a “tragic mishap,” and the Israeli military said it would conduct a preliminary investigation. A spokesperson insisted the army “does not target journalists as such” and “regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals.” However, press freedom groups have noted that Israeli investigations into similar cases rarely lead to accountability. The 2022 killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh remains unresolved. Tributes poured in for the slain journalists. The

AP

said it was “shocked and saddened” by Dagga’s death, while

Reuters

said it was “devastated” at the loss of Masri and injuries to Khaled.

Independent

Arabia

called Dagga an “example of dedication and professional commitment,” noting her courageous reporting on starvation among Gaza’s children.

The picture (updated) of Reuters' Hussam al-Masri at Nasser hospital in the southern Gaza. Photograph: Mohammed Salem/Reuters

Dagga, who leaves behind a 13-year-old son evacuated earlier in the war, had written a will like many of her colleagues in Gaza. According to

The

Guardian

, in a farewell note to her son, she urged him: “Make me proud … become successful and excel.” The Palestinian Health Ministry said the strike disrupted surgeries at the hospital, which is the last functioning public facility in southern Gaza. It accused Israel of carrying out a “systematic destruction of the health system.” Beyond the hospital, violence spread across Gaza. At least six people were killed and 15 wounded when gunfire erupted near a food distribution site run by the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in central Gaza, where shootings by Israeli soldiers have become almost daily. In Gaza City, an airstrike killed at least three people, including a child, as Israel prepares for a ground invasion. The death toll in Gaza has now climbed to 62,686 Palestinians since the war began 22 months ago, following the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people and resulted in 250 hostages being taken. Meanwhile,

9News

reports that international media remain barred from entering Gaza, forcing global news outlets to rely on Palestinian journalists who face not only bombardment but also starvation. As one colleague of Abu Aziz wrote before his death: “It felt like I was all alone and the only one left on the ground as so many more of my colleagues were being killed.”  

A little more informed. A little more connected.