At least 15 Palestinians were killed on Monday, August 25, when Israeli strikes hit the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry. Dozens more were wounded in the attack, which included ambulance workers and civil defence staff.
Among the dead were four journalists: Mohammad Salama, a cameraman with Al Jazeera; Hossam Al-Masri, a Reuters cameraman; Mariam Abu Daqqa, who reported for Independent Arabia and the Associated Press; and Moaz Abu Taha of NBC. Reuters photographer Hatem Khaled was also injured.
Witnesses and officials said the assault began when a suicide drone struck the hospital’s upper floors, including the roof where journalists were gathered. Minutes later, a second strike hit the area as rescue teams arrived, in what Gaza officials described as a “double-tap strike.”
The health ministry said repeated Israeli attacks on medical facilities were pushing Gaza’s healthcare system to collapse. “Severe shortages of medicines, equipment and electricity have already forced many hospitals out of service,” the ministry noted.
Nasser Hospital is one of the largest medical centres still operating in Gaza, treating thousands of people wounded in the war. Its targeting comes as the United Nations warns that Gaza’s health sector is on the brink of total breakdown.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has repeatedly raised alarm over the unprecedented toll on media workers. With Monday’s deaths, more than 250 journalists have been killed since the war began on October 7, 2023 — making Gaza the most dangerous place in the world for reporters.
According to Gaza’s health ministry, at least 62,686 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military campaign so far, with thousands more believed to be trapped under rubble.
