DayofPal– Israeli soldiers have admitted to launching two separate strikes on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza on Monday, claiming the target was a “Hamas camera.”
The attacks killed at least 20 Palestinians, including journalists, medical personnel, and emergency responders, and left dozens more injured.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, the first shell struck the hospital’s fifth floor.
Minutes later, a second shell hit as medical and rescue teams rushed to assist the wounded. Among the casualties were five journalists: Hussam Al-Masri, photojournalist with Reuters; Mohammed Salama, photojournalist with Al Jazeera; Mariam Abu Daqqa, correspondent for Independent Arabia and the Associated Press; Moath Abu Taha, journalist with NBC News; Ahmed Abu Aziz, contributor to Quds Feed.
Other victims included Mohammad Al-Habibi, a sixth-year medical student, and Imad Al-Shaer, a firefighter with the civil defense unit and father of three.
Nasser Hospital is currently the only operational medical facility in southern Gaza. With over 1,000 patients and only 340 available beds, the hospital is overwhelmed, with many patients forced to lie in corridors or on the floor.
A live broadcast screenshot from Al-Ghad TV captured the moment when journalists and medics were assisting victims of the first strike—just before the second shell struck them directly.
Israeli forces claimed that the target of the strike was a camera allegedly used by Hamas to monitor military movements in the area. Soldiers said the second round was fired to “confirm the hit,” which landed on the rescue personnel.
Despite the military’s statement, senior Israeli officers have reportedly expressed skepticism over the soldiers’ account. The Israeli army has announced that the Chief of Staff has ordered a preliminary investigation, stating, “The army does not target journalists.”
The Ministry of Health in Gaza condemned the attack, declaring that “The occupation forces’ targeting of the hospital today and the killing of medical personnel, journalists, and civil defense personnel is a continuation of the systematic destruction of the health system and the continuation of genocide.”
Footage from the hospital shows journalists standing on a staircase just before the second strike hit.
In a separate statement, the Gaza Media Office said the number of journalists killed since the beginning of the war has now reached 245. The office accused Israel of conducting “systematic assassinations of Palestinian reporters.”
Nasser Hospital, already under immense strain, is now facing even more catastrophic conditions as the war continues to devastate Gaza’s medical infrastructure.
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