Five Journalists Killed in Israeli Strikes on Gaza Hospital, CPJ Demands Accountability
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At least five journalists were among 20 people killed Monday when Israeli strikes hit the Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, prompting international outrage and renewed calls for an independent investigation into attacks on the press.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) confirmed that Reuters contractor Hussam Al-Masri, Al Jazeera cameraman Mohammed Salama, freelance photojournalist Mariam Abu Dagga, contributor Ahmed Abu Aziz, and freelance videographer Moaz Abu Taha died in the twin strikes on the hospital in Khan Younis.
The first strike killed Al-Masri as he operated a Reuters live feed from the hospital roof. Minutes later, a second strike hit as reporters gathered to cover the aftermath, killing the other four journalists.
“This is a deeply concerning pattern that we have seen over and over again from Israel in which journalists are targeted or indiscriminately caught up in this war,” CPJ President Jodie Ginsberg told ABC News Australia. “Civilians must be protected in any war setting. That includes journalists.”
Israel Calls Strike a “Mishap”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the incident as a “tragic mishap.” Ginsberg rejected that characterization.
“A mishap is something that might happen when you spill a glass of water. It’s not how you describe the killing of 20 civilians in what is potentially a war crime,” Ginsberg said.
Israel Hayom reported that a security source claimed Hamas militants had placed a surveillance camera on the hospital roof to track Israeli forces, and that troops were authorized to neutralize it. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said Chief of Staff General Eyal Zamir has ordered an internal investigation.
IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee posted on X that the military “does not target journalists as such and works as much as possible to minimize harm to them.” He added that the army “expresses regret for any injury to uninvolved personnel.”
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Deadliest Conflict for Journalists
CPJ said it has documented at least 197 journalists and media workers killed since the Israel-Gaza war began in October 2023, including 189 Palestinians. Ginsberg said CPJ has evidence that at least 26 of those were deliberately targeted despite being clearly identified as journalists.
“This is the deadliest conflict for journalists that CPJ has ever documented,” Ginsberg said. “To target journalists knowingly and deliberately constitutes a war crime.”
Journalists frequently operated from Nasser Hospital because it had become a hub for civilians, doctors, and aid workers amid the fighting. “Hospitals are considered safe spaces, and that is where individuals are brought after an attack,” Ginsberg said.
Families Mourn Slain Reporters
Funerals were held Tuesday for Al-Masri and Abu Dagga, both in their early thirties. Photographs showed mourners carrying Al-Masri’s body through Khan Younis streets, draped in a press vest. Abu Dagga, who worked with the Associated Press and Independent Arabia, had chronicled the humanitarian toll of the war for months before she was killed.
“She was our eyes and our voice in Gaza,” said her colleague Jehad Alshrafi of AP, who photographed her earlier this year. “To lose her this way is unbearable.”
Growing International Condemnation
The World Health Organization condemned the attack, stressing that hospitals must never be targeted. “Hospitals are civilian infrastructure and should be protected,” the agency said in a statement.
United Nations officials also called for a full investigation, warning that continued strikes on hospitals risk depriving thousands of civilians of essential care.
Ginsberg said previous Israeli investigations into journalist killings have failed to hold anyone accountable. “We rarely see transparent investigations from Israel into the killing of journalists by the Israeli military,” she told ABC. “Over the past 20 years, we have not seen a single case where anyone was held accountable”.
Pressure Mounts on Israel
The killings have heightened pressure on Israel over its conduct in Gaza, where rights groups have accused the military of disregarding protections for civilians.
Sara Qudah, CPJ’s regional director, said in a statement: “Israel’s broadcasted killing of journalists in Gaza continues while the world watches and fails to act firmly on the most horrific attacks the press has ever faced in recent history. The perpetrators must no longer be allowed to act with impunity.”
The latest strike follows a separate attack two weeks earlier in which CPJ said Israel killed an entire Al Jazeera crew in Gaza City. Israeli officials at the time claimed one of the journalists was linked to Hamas, but provided little evidence.
Journalists as “Eyes and Ears”
With international correspondents barred from entering Gaza, Palestinian reporters have borne the brunt of documenting the war.
“They are our eyes and our ears for what’s happening inside Gaza,” Ginsberg said. “It is no coincidence that we’re seeing an increase in attacks as Israel deepens its incursion.”
Australia Reacts
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the Israeli strike on a southern Gaza hospital overnight is "horrific" and has called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war echoed those concerns, urging Israel to uphold international humanitarian law.
"What we've seen overnight with the attack on a hospital is horrific, and what we would say to Prime Minister Netanyahu is you should heed the call of the world and agree to a ceasefire," Wong says.
"You should take the advice of your own military and agree to a ceasefire. This war must stop," she says.
Calls for Independent Probe
Human rights groups are urging an independent inquiry led by the United Nations or the International Criminal Court. They argue that Israel’s internal investigations lack credibility.
“What we need is a thorough, transparent investigation conducted by independent bodies,” Ginsberg said. “We cannot continue to see journalists killed without accountability.”
A War Without Witness
For many Gazans, the loss of journalists compounds an already dire situation. Hospitals, once considered safe havens, have increasingly become targets.
“This is not just about journalists,” said Dr. Mahmoud Saqallah, a physician at Nasser Hospital who survived the strikes. “It is about patients, children, families. Everyone here is unprotected.”
As Israel presses its military campaign, press freedom groups warn that the war is silencing the very voices needed to document its toll.
“Journalists are considered civilians in a war setting and must never be targeted,” Ginsberg said. “Without them, the world will be blind to what is happening in Gaza.”
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