Five journalists were among at least 20 killed in an Israeli double strike on Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
The second strike on the fourth floor of the hospital was broadcast on live television as rescue crews scoured the building to evacuate people killed and injured from the first strike minutes earlier.
This brings the number of journalists killed in Gaza since the start of the war in October 2023 to early 200.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said the war in Gaza has been the deadliest conflict for journalists ever documented, with more press members killed there in the past two years than were killed worldwide in the prior three years.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he “deeply regrets” the attacks on Nasser Hospital and described the strikes as a “tragic mishap”.
Leaders around the world have condemned the strikes, including Canada.
"Canada is horrified by the Israeli military strike at the Nasser Hospital in Gaza, which killed five journalists and many civilians, including rescuers and health officials," its foreign ministry said in a statement.
Donald Trump said he was “not happy” about the strikes and said, “I don’t want to see it” when questioned about the strike by reporters.
In a statement, the UN rights office spokesperson, Ravina Shamdasani, said journalists and hospitals should not be targeted.
"The killing of journalists in Gaza should shock the world -- not into stunned silence but into action, demanding accountability and justice,” Shamdasani said.
