Israeli airstrike on southern Gaza hospital kills 15, including 4 journalists

DEIR AL BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP & AFP) Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes on a hospital in the south of the territory killed at least 15 people on Monday, including four journalists.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said "the death toll is 15, including four journalists and one civil defence member", after strikes hit Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis.

The victims on the fourth floor of the Nasser Hospital were killed in a double-tap strike with one missile hitting first, then another moments later as rescue crews arrived, the ministry said.

Nasser Hospital, the largest in southern Gaza, has withstood raids and bombardment throughout 22 months of war, with officials citing critical shortages of supplies and staff.

Neither Israel’s military nor the Prime Minister's office immediately responded to questions about the strike.

Those killed at Nasser Hospital were among 12 reported dead Monday, including six aid seekers. Three Palestinians, including a child, were killed in a strike on a neighborhood in Gaza City, where Israel is preparing for a broader ground invasion in the coming days.

Al Awda Hospital reported six aid-seekers trying to reach a distribution point in central Gaza were killed by Israeli gunfire in an incident that also wounded 15. Israel's military did not immediately respond to a question about the aid seekers.

Israeli strikes and raids on hospitals are not uncommon. Multiple hospitals have been struck or raided across the Gaza Strip, with Israel claiming its attacks had targeted militants operating inside the medical facilities, without providing evidence.

A June strike on Nasser Hospital killed three people and wounded 10, according to the health ministry. At the time, Israel's military said it had targeted Hamas militants operating from a command and control center inside the hospital. A March strike on the hospital's surgical unit days after a ceasefire broke down killed two people.

The health ministry said Sunday that at least 62,686 Palestinians have been killed in the war. It does not distinguish between fighters and civillians but says around half have been women and children. The U.N. and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own.