The Israeli military claimed Tuesday that its double strike on a Gaza hospital, which resulted in 20 deaths including five journalists, targeted a Hamas surveillance camera. However, the initial strike killed a Reuters cameraman, Hussam al-Masri, who was filming live from the hospital, according to health officials.
The military’s report did not explain the reasons behind the double strike, nor did it provide evidence for its assertion that six of the deceased were militants, two of whom were later identified as a health care worker and an emergency services driver.
The military stated that the strikes were aimed at a camera being used by militants to monitor Israeli forces, but witnesses at the scene of the Nasser Hospital attack contradicted this account.
Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, denied that Hamas had operated a camera at the hospital, adding, “If this claim was true, there are many means to neutralise this camera without targeting a health care facility with a tank shell,” reported UNB/AP.
The initial attack struck the hospital’s top floor, killing al-Masri and one other unidentified individual. As emergency workers, journalists, and relatives of patients rushed to assist the injured, the second strike hit, resulting in 18 additional deaths, including four emergency responders. No weapons were visible among the crowd, as shown in photos captured by witnesses.
The Israeli military, which did not clarify why it launched the second strike, suggested that its soldiers identified militants among the crowd. However, this assertion remains unsubstantiated. In an earlier statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the attack a “tragic mishap,” though the nature of the mistake was not detailed.
Among those killed were a healthcare worker, Jumaa al-Najjar, and Imad al-Shaar, a driver with Gaza’s civil defense agency. Both were identified by local authorities, yet Israel has often labeled such individuals working for Hamas-controlled agencies as militants, as was the case during Israel’s deadly assault on 15 medical personnel in March, when troops opened fire on ambulances in southern Gaza.
The investigation into the attack has revealed gaps in the military’s findings, including details on the type of ammunition used in the strikes. Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani of the Israeli military stated that none of the journalists killed was suspected of being affiliated with militant groups, and that they were not deliberately targeted.
The Israel-Hamas conflict has claimed the lives of 189 Palestinian journalists in the past 22 months, making it one of the deadliest for media workers, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported the deaths of at least 35 Palestinians on Tuesday, the majority from Israeli strikes.
Three more adults died from malnutrition causes on Tuesday, bringing the total number of deaths linked to starvation to 186, including 117 children since the start of Israel’s military offensive.
Netanyahu reportedly met with his security cabinet on Tuesday evening, although details provided remain sparse. At an event in Jerusalem, he commented, “It started in Gaza, and it will end in Gaza,”
“We will not leave these monsters there. We will release all our hostages. We will ensure that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel,” he added.
Israel’s military offensive has killed 62,819, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which says around half were women and children.