‘Shocking, deeply regrettable’: MEA condemns killing of journalists in Gaza

An Israeli strike on Gaza’s Nasser hospital killed at least 20 people on Monday, and among those dead were Mariam Abu Dagga, a freelancer for the Associated Press (AP) and other outlets, Mohammed Salama of Al Jazeera, Moaz Abu Taha, a freelancer who occasionally contributed to Reuters, and Ahmed Abu Aziz.

In a recent statement by the military, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the killing of five journalists an “tragic mishap.”

Israeli military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said on Tuesday said, “We can confirm that the Reuters and AP journalists were not a target of the strike.”

The military said the back-to-back strikes on southern Gaza’s largest hospital were ordered because soldiers believed militants were using the camera to observe Israeli forces and because Israel has long believed Hamas and other militant groups are present at hospitals, though Israeli officials rarely provide evidence to support that claim.

None of the five journalists were among the six alleged Palestinian militant targets that the Israeli military named in a written statement, released on Tuesday. “At the same time, the Chief of the General Staff regrets any harm caused to civilians,” the statement said, adding that the Israeli military directs its activities solely toward military targets.

In a statement issued later on Tuesday, Hamas challenged the Israeli account of the hospital casualties, denying that any of the Palestinians killed were militants.

(With inputs from Reuters)