Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza over 22 months ago, journalists and media workers have repeatedly become targets of Israeli airstrikes, indicating a systematic policy by Israel to silence voices reporting the truth. Human rights organizations report that more than 200 journalists have been killed since October 7, 2023, an unprecedented toll in modern conflicts.

On Monday, tragedy struck again when an Israeli airstrike targeted Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, resulting in 20 casualties including five journalists and a civil defense member. Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Palestinian Civil Defense, said the hospital was hit by two air raids; the first targeted the Al-Yaseen Medical Building, while the second struck rescue teams and the wounded during evacuation.

The Israeli army quickly announced it would conduct a preliminary investigation, claiming it “does not target journalists” and expressing “regret for any harm to uninvolved persons.” However, the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate described the incident as an “assassination crime” targeting four journalists while performing their professional duties, later announcing the death of journalist Ahmed Abu Aziz from his injuries.

The attack sparked widespread reactions in the global media community. Al Jazeera mourned its cameraman Mohamed Salama, Reuters announced the death of its contractor Hossam Al-Masri and injury of colleague Hatem Khaled, expressing “deep sorrow” and calling for medical aid for the wounded. The Associated Press expressed “shock and sadness” over the death of independent journalist Mariam Abu Daqa, who had collaborated with them since the war began.

In the hospital courtyards, funerals became a poignant symbolic scene; press vests were placed on the bodies of three victims, and mourners chanted slogans praising the “message of the martyrs.” Hossam Al-Masri’s brother said, “We will not stop continuing the journey; the image will come out.”

On the legal and professional front, the Foreign Press Association, representing journalists working with international media from Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza, demanded an “immediate clarification” from the Israeli army and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, describing the targeting of journalists as a “shameful practice that must stop completely.” The Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders condemned the repeated violations, recalling that dozens of media workers had been killed in previous strikes, including Al Jazeera’s team at the Al-Shifa Medical Complex.

International reactions were sharp. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for an end to attacks on medical facilities, emphasizing that Gaza’s population is “starving” and deprived of healthcare. Turkey described the airstrike as “an assault on press freedom and another war crime,” while Finnish President Sauli Niinistö stressed that Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip constitute a “blatant violation of international law” and a manifestation of “humanity’s failure.”