Tragic Assault on Gaza Hospital Claims Numerous Lives Including Journalists
Over a dozen Palestinians, including reporters from different agencies, tragically lost their lives following two consecutive assaults on a hospital in southern Gaza.
Details Surrounding the Tragic Event
The health department in Palestine revealed that the deadly event, which took place on a Monday, resulted in at least 20 fatalities and numerous injuries. The targeted location was a health facility in Khan Younis, which saw two separate attacks within minutes of each other. This strategy, often referred to as "double-tap", claimed the lives of not only journalists but also medical staff and emergency response personnel who had arrived on the scene after the first assault.
The journalists who lost their lives in this tragic incident include Mohammad Salama, a cameraman, Hussam Al-Masri, a contractor, Mariam Abu Dagga, who had contributed to various agencies during the ongoing conflict, and Moath Abu Taha, a freelance journalist.
The strikes were directed at a balcony on the hospital that journalists often utilized for a comprehensive view of Khan Younis. The local civil defense organization also reported the loss of one of their team members in the attack.
Sequence of Events and Aftermath
The initial assault on the hospital damaged the fourth floor of the Nasser Medical Complex, as stated by the Palestinian health ministry. The second assault followed shortly after, targeting ambulances and emergency responders at the scene.
While confirming that they had launched an assault in the area, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) stated that they do not specifically target journalists. They also announced the initiation of an initial investigation into the incident as soon as possible. However, their statement did not acknowledge directly targeting the hospital, and there was no mention of the twin assaults on the facility or their intended target.
Video footage from the scene captured the terrifying moments following the attacks. Dr. Mohammad Saqer, a hospital spokesperson and head of nursing, was seen holding a blood-stained cloth when a second explosion occurred, filling the surroundings with smoke and causing people to scramble for safety. A live camera feed showed emergency workers on a damaged staircase in the hospital when the second assault took place.
Reactions and Condemnations
The attack has been vehemently condemned by the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, who labeled it as a horrendous massacre by the Israeli forces deliberately targeting media personnel.
Mariam Abu Dagga, one of the journalists who lost their lives in the attack, was previously featured in an article last year. She was known for her brave documentation of the conflict, despite the increasing danger to journalists. At age 31, she felt a strong commitment to her journalistic duty, stating, "We are covering the war on Gaza because this is our journalistic duty. It is entrusted upon us."
Abu Dagga had written about the struggles of doctors at Nasser Hospital desperately trying to save malnourished children with no previous health problems. Her death, along with several other journalists, was a shocking and sad event for her colleagues. It is noteworthy that her 12-year-old son had been evacuated from Gaza earlier due to the conflict.
In response to the attack, Hamas said that the enemy is trying to deter journalists from exposing the truth, covering war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and the devastating living conditions of the Palestinian people in Gaza.
According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), the number of journalists killed by Israel since the beginning of the Gaza war, prior to this Monday's attack, has reached 192. The organization emphasized that Israel is partaking in the deadliest and most deliberate effort to kill and silence journalists that CPJ has ever documented.