At least 20 dead (five journalists) in the double attack on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza

Five journalists, a rescue worker, and a medical student are among the 20 Palestinians killed today, Monday, by the Israeli army in two consecutive bombings against Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza.

The attack, which was captured on video and claimed by Israeli forces, has been condemned by countries such as the United Kingdom and Spain, and by organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO).

Israel has yet to explain the motive for the direct attack, only stating that it will launch an investigation and regrets "the harm to uninvolved individuals."

However, local media outlets such as Haaretz suggest that the troops' target could have been a camera that they claimed was used to monitor military movements.

The attacked location, the landing on the top floor of one of the buildings in the Nasser Medical Complex, was frequently used by journalists for live broadcasts.

Haaretz itself, citing senior military officials, notes that the area is riddled with cameras, and that it is still unclear who authorized the attack.

At least three of the five journalists killed today by Israel worked for international media: Hossam al-Masri worked for the British news agency Reuters; Miriam Abu Daqqa worked for the American Associated Press (AP); and Mohamed Salama worked as a cameraman for the Qatari network Al Jazeera.

The other two journalists, Moaz Abu Taha and Ahmed Abu Aziz, were freelance reporters and worked for various media outlets.

The attack consisted of two shots. The first killed the Reuters cameraman, who was working on the stairs. After the explosion, fellow journalists and rescuers rushed to assist the victims when a second shot struck.

This technique, known militarily as "double impact," is illegal under international law, as it seeks to cause casualties among civilian personnel who come to evacuate and rescue potential victims of an initial bombing.

The incident was immediately condemned by Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, and by the Palestinian government of Mahmoud Abbas, which partially manages Palestinian cities in the occupied West Bank.

Israel "once again demonstrates its contempt for international law and humanitarian conventions, defying the international community and the UN by deliberately attacking a civilian medical complex and killing groups protected by international humanitarian law," the Islamist group said in a statement.

Abbas, for his part, called on the UN Security Council to intervene to protect Gazan journalists, and on the international community to put a stop to "these systematic crimes."

Meanwhile, the Foreign Press Association in Israel and the Palestinian Territories (FPA) demanded an explanation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, denouncing this as one of the "most lethal attacks against journalists working for international media" since the start of the war.

On the international stage, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on his social media account X that he was "horrified" by the attacks on Nasser and reiterated the need for a ceasefire in the enclave.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares also condemned the incident in a post on the same social media platform, saying that "the war in Gaza must end now."

According to the Gazan government, which is controlled by Hamas, 245 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza since the start of the Israeli offensive in October 2023. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), for its part, has recorded the deaths of at least 192 reporters.