ISTANBUL

The Associated Press and Reuters on Tuesday demanded accountability from the Israeli army over a deadly airstrike on a hospital in southern Gaza that killed 20 people, among them five journalists, including three working for the two news agencies.

In a joint letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior officials, AP Executive Editor Julie Pace and Reuters Editor-in-Chief Alessandra Galloni said they were “outraged” that independent journalists were among those killed in Monday’s strike on the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, a civilian facility protected under international law.

“Freelance visual journalists Mariam Abu Dagga and Moaz Abu Taha had worked for AP and Reuters, respectively, as well as other outlets during the war. Cameraman Hussam al-Masri, a contractor for Reuters, was also killed, while photographer Hatem Khaled, another Reuters contractor, was wounded,” the editors wrote.

They stressed that the journalists were present in their professional capacity, documenting the war at a time when Israel had barred foreign reporters from entering Gaza for nearly two years.

The Israeli army acknowledged the strike, claiming it does not target journalists, and said it had opened an internal inquiry. But the two editors voiced doubt, saying past Israeli investigations “rarely result in clarity or accountability,” and raised questions about whether Israel is deliberately targeting live feeds to suppress information.

“Striking a hospital, followed by a second strike while journalists and rescuers were responding, raises urgent questions about whether international obligations to protect civilians and journalists were upheld,” the letter said.

The demand comes amid outrage after the hospital massacre. Gaza’s Health Ministry said the victims included patients, health workers, civil defense crews, and media staff. Among those killed were Palestine TV cameraman Hussam al-Masri, Al Jazeera photographer Mohammad Salama, photojournalist Mariam Abu Dagga, journalist Moaz Abu Taha, and freelance reporter Ahmed Abu Aziz.

Another journalist, Hassan Douhan, a reporter for the daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, was also killed by Israeli army fire in Khan Younis on Monday, bringing the overall number of journalists killed since October 2023 to 246.

Pace and Galloni urged Israel to guarantee safe and unimpeded access for independent journalists to and from Gaza, stressing that a “full and transparent accounting” of the Nasser Hospital strike is urgently needed.

Israel has killed more than 62,700 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave, which is facing famine.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.