An Israeli missile strike struck the fourth floor of Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza on Monday morning, killing 19 people, among them four journalists, according to Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Gaza Health Ministry’s records department. Moments after the initial blast, a second missile hit the same spot as rescue teams were responding.

Among those who lost their lives was 33-year-old Mariam Dagga, a freelance visual journalist for the Associated Press who had been covering the Gaza conflict since it began. Known for her powerful reporting from the hospital, Dagga recently documented the struggle of doctors treating children suffering from starvation. The AP said it was “shocked and saddened” by her passing.

The strike also claimed the life of Mohammed Salam, a cameraman from Al Jazeera, and Hussam al-Masri, a Reuters contractor. Another Reuters contractor, photographer Hatem Khaled, was wounded. Additionally, freelance journalist Moath Abu Taha, affiliated with NBC, was among the deceased.

Videos from the scene show a hospital spokesman holding a blood-soaked cloth after the first explosion when the second strike hit, sending people running amid smoke and chaos. Gaza’s Civil Defense said one of its members was also killed in the attack.

Repeated Strikes Hit Nasser Hospital in Gaza

Nasser Hospital, the largest medical facility in southern Gaza, has endured multiple strikes and bombardments during the 22-month conflict, often grappling with critical shortages of staff and supplies. Past attacks on the hospital include a June strike killing three people and a March assault on its surgical unit causing two fatalities. Israel has justified these strikes by claiming they target Hamas militants operating within the hospital, although no evidence has been publicly provided.

The Israeli military and the Prime Minister’s office have yet to respond to inquiries about the latest attack.

In other parts of Gaza, violence persisted. Shifa Hospital reported three fatalities, including a child, in a strike on a Gaza City neighborhood where Israeli forces appear to be preparing for a larger ground offensive. Meanwhile, Al-Awda Hospital reported six civilians seeking aid were killed by Israeli gunfire, with 15 others wounded.

This incident marks the second time in two weeks that Israeli strikes have killed journalists in Gaza. Two weeks prior, an attack near al-Shifa Hospital claimed the lives of six journalists, including four from Al Jazeera. One of them, 28-year-old Anas al-Sharif, was labeled by Israel as “the head of a Hamas terrorist cell,” a claim Al Jazeera and media freedom organisations deny, calling for proof that Israel has not provided.

The Committee to Protect Journalists reports that 192 journalists have been killed in Gaza during the conflict, a staggering toll compared to 18 journalists killed in the Russia-Ukraine war over the same timeframe.

Israel has severely restricted access for international media in Gaza, leaving local Palestinian journalists as the main source of information despite facing many of the same dangers and scarcities of resources as civilians.

The Gaza Health Ministry estimates that the war has claimed at least 62,686 lives, roughly half of whom are women and children. While Israel disputes these figures, it has not published alternative casualty data. The UN and independent observers consider the ministry’s figures the most reliable.

Amid rising international criticism, attacks on medical facilities and journalists continue to draw condemnation from press freedom groups and humanitarian organisations worldwide.