Israel bombs hospital, kills journalists, medics, dozens more across Gaza

Israel has struck Nasser Hospital successful the southbound of the Gaza Strip, sidesplitting astatine slightest 21 people, including 5 journalists, arsenic good arsenic medics and rescue workers, successful the latest deliberate onslaught connected civilians and the besieged enclave’s decimated wellness system.

Monday’s attack, which killed journalists who worked for Al Jazeera, the Reuters and Associated Press (AP) quality agencies, and others, was among the deadliest of a multitude of Israeli strikes that person targeted some hospitals and media workers implicit the people of the astir two-year genocidal assault.

It comes arsenic Israel widens its violative to heavy populated areas and municipality centres, including Gaza City, expanding the already heightened peril for the population.

The archetypal onslaught of the “double-tap” attack, wherever 1 onslaught is followed by a 2nd soon after, deed the apical level of a gathering astatine Nasser Hospital. Minutes later, arsenic journalists and rescuers successful orangish vests rushed up an outer staircase, a 2nd projectile hit, said Dr Ahmed al-Farra, the caput of the paediatrics department.

Among the journalists killed were Al Jazeera’s Mohammad Salama, Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri, Mariam Abu Daqqa, a freelance writer moving for AP astatine the time, arsenic good arsenic Ahmed Abu Aziz and Moaz Abu Taha.

Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah, said the onslaught has “sent the full country into an implicit consciousness of chaos and panic”.

“Not lone for passers-by oregon radical surviving successful the vicinity of the hospital, but for the patients themselves, who are receiving attraction successful 1 of the areas that indispensable beryllium protected nether … planetary humanitarian law,” Abu Azzoum said.

The onslaught was met with widespread planetary condemnation, including from property state groups and rights advocates, who expressed outrage implicit Israel’s repeated targeted killings of Palestinian journalists successful Gaza.

Al Jazeera condemned the onslaught arsenic “a wide intent to hide the truth”.

Francesca Albanese, the United Nations peculiar rapporteur connected the occupied Palestinian territory, besides decried the attack.

“Rescuers killed successful enactment of duty. Scenes similar this unfold each infinitesimal successful Gaza, often unseen, mostly undocumented,” Albanese said.

“I beg states: however overmuch much indispensable beryllium witnessed earlier you enactment to halt this carnage? Break the blockade. Impose an Arms Embargo. Impose Sanctions.”

Israel’s allies, specified arsenic France Germany and the United Kingdom, person called for an investigation.

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate besides condemned Israel for the strikes, saying it represented “an unfastened warfare against escaped media, with the purpose of terrorising journalists and preventing them from fulfilling their nonrecreational work of exposing its crimes to the world”.

The onslaught raises the decease toll of Palestinian journalists killed successful Gaza since October 7, 2023 to astatine slightest 273, according to an Al Jazeera tally.

The Committee to Protect Journalists called for “the planetary assemblage to clasp Israel accountable for its continued unlawful attacks connected the press”.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bureau said the onslaught was a “tragic mishap”, and that the subject was investigating it. Israel has often issued akin statements aft incidents that drew planetary outrage and calls for UN investigations, but existent accountability for the perpetrators is unheard of.

Israeli forces besides killed Palestinian analogous Hassan Douhan, who worked for the Al-Hayat al-Jadida publication, successful a abstracted incidental successful Khan Younis aboriginal connected Monday, bringing the decease toll of journalists killed that time to six.

Two weeks ago, Israel killed salient Al Jazeera analogous Anas Al-Sharif and 4 different journalists successful a strike. In that attack, Israel acknowledged targeting Sharif and falsely alleged helium worked for Hamas, without providing immoderate evidence, aft having openly maligned and condemned him for months earlier murdering him.

Nasser Hospital has withstood raids and bombardment during the war, with officials repeatedly noting captious shortages of supplies and unit amid a crippling assistance blockade. Other hospitals person besides travel nether attack, including al-Shifa Medical Complex, the enclave’s main hospital, wherever Israel has killed hundreds.

Death, desperation and famine stalk enclave

Israeli attacks crossed the famine-struck territory person killed astatine slightest 61 radical since dawn connected Monday, including 7 radical desperately seeking aid.

Tanks person been advancing successful Gaza City, wherever Israeli forces person been intensifying attacks successful a bid to unit astir 1 cardinal Palestinians determination southwards into attraction zones.

Gaza’s Civil Defence said that Israel had destroyed 1,000 buildings successful Gaza City since August 6, trapping hundreds nether the rubble, portion ongoing shelling and blocked entree routes prevented galore rescue and assistance operations.

The al-Awda Hospital said Israeli gunfire besides killed six assistance seekers trying to scope a organisation constituent successful cardinal Gaza and wounded different 15.

Israeli forces person been routinely opening occurrence connected bare Palestinians arsenic they effort to unafraid meagre assistance parcels astatine the arguable Israeli and United States-backed GHF sites.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, much than 2,000 Palestinians person been killed and immoderate 13,500 wounded portion seeking assistance astatine organisation points oregon on convoy routes utilized by the UN and different assistance groups.

Al-Awda said that 2 Israeli strikes successful cardinal Gaza killed six Palestinians, including a child, portion al-Shifa Hospital successful Gaza City said 3 Palestinians, including a child, were killed successful a onslaught there.

The relentless attacks proceed arsenic the UN warns that malnutrition among children successful Gaza is deepening.

The UN’s humanitarian bureau (OCHA) renewed calls for the unrestricted travel of assistance into and wrong Gaza.

“With famine conditions present confirmed successful Gaza governorate, hunger and malnutrition among children are deepening,” OCHA said.

“Partners moving connected nutrition enactment that successful immoderate nutrient crisis, children with underlying wellness conditions are affected archetypal – and without due nutrition, h2o and care, their information worsens much quickly.”

Chris McIntosh, Oxfam’s humanitarian effect advisor successful Gaza, has described the concern arsenic unprecedented successful standard and severity.

“It’s hard not to overuse superlatives successful this context, but truly, this is simply a singular humanitarian catastrophe and the worst situation that I’ve ever been portion of… by far,” helium said.

In the meantime, US President Donald Trump has predicted that the warfare connected Gaza could spot a “conclusive end” wrong 2 to 3 weeks. Similar claims person rapidly fallen by the wayside arsenic Washington’s afloat subject and diplomatic backing of Israel’s genocidal warfare shows nary signs of abating.

“It’s got to get implicit with due to the fact that betwixt the hunger and each of the different problems – worse than hunger, death, axenic decease – radical [are] being killed,” Trump said.