A deadly missile strike hit Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza on Monday, leaving at least 19 people dead, including four journalists.
Health officials said the attack targeted the fourth floor of the hospital, where the first missile was followed by a second moments later—striking just as rescuers rushed to help.
Nasser Hospital, the largest in southern Gaza, has been a critical lifeline throughout the 22-month war, struggling to operate under constant bombardment, dwindling medical supplies, and exhausted staff.
Among those killed was 33-year-old visual journalist Mariam Dagga, who had been documenting the war from the hospital since the conflict began. She often reported on the efforts of doctors trying to save children suffering from starvation.
Other journalists confirmed dead include Mohammed Salam of Al Jazeera and Hussam al-Masri, a cameraman working for Reuters. Another Reuters contractor, photographer Hatem Khaled, was wounded in the strike.
The ongoing war has been one of the deadliest conflicts for media workers in recent history, with nearly 200 journalists killed in Gaza since fighting began.
Israel’s military did not immediately comment on the latest strike. Similar attacks on medical facilities have been defended by Israeli officials in the past, who claim that militants use hospitals as cover for their operations.
Just days earlier, another airstrike destroyed about 100 tents at a camp for displaced families near Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza. While no deaths were reported in that incident, hundreds of people who had already fled violence were left without shelter once again.