The Zionist occupation carried out a massacre at the Nasser Medical Complex in Gaza on Monday, striking the facility twice and killing at least 21 Palestinians, including five journalists and members of the civil defense who were targeted in the second strike as they rushed to aid victims of the first.
Following the attack, the Government Media Office in Gaza announced that the number of journalists martyred since the beginning of the genocidal war on the Strip has risen to 245.
The journalists killed were identified as:
- Hossam al-Masri, photojournalist with Reuters
- Mohammed Salama, photojournalist with Al Jazeera
- Maryam Abu Daqa, journalist with multiple outlets, including Independent Arabia and AP
- Moaz Abu Taha, correspondent with NBC News
- Ahmad Abu Aziz, journalist with Quds Feed Network
The media office described the killings as a “horrific crime” against press workers, noting that the journalists were killed while covering events at the hospital when occupation forces bombed the area.
It condemned the systematic targeting and assassination of Palestinian journalists, calling on the International Federation of Journalists, the Arab Journalists Union, and press bodies worldwide to denounce the ongoing crimes against media professionals in Gaza.
The office also held the occupation, the US administration, and allied countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and France responsible for the killings, describing them as complicit in the genocide.
The statement further urged international organizations and press unions to pressure for an end to the war, protect journalists in Gaza, and pursue accountability through international courts.
AFP reported that restrictions on media access in Gaza make it difficult to independently verify casualty figures and details released by either the civil defence agency or the Israeli military.
Footage taken in the immediate aftermath of the strike showed smoke rising and debris scattered outside the hospital. Palestinians rushed to aid the wounded, carrying bloodied bodies and severed limbs into the medical complex.
According to the report, one body was seen hanging from the top floor of the targeted building as a man screamed below. Among the injured was a woman in medical scrubs and a white coat, who was rushed in on a stretcher with a heavily bandaged leg and clothes soaked in blood.
Before this latest attack, media advocacy groups, including the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and Reporters Without Borders, reported that around 200 journalists have been killed since the beginning of the Gaza war.
Gaza Ministry of Health condemns Nasser massacre
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza condemned the massacre on Monday, highlighting that Nasser Hospital is the only general hospital still functioning in southern Gaza, calling it a heinous crime and part of the systematic destruction of the health system.
The ministry said the attack reflects the continuation of genocide and a direct challenge to global humanitarian values. It issued an urgent appeal to the international community and humanitarian organizations to act immediately to protect health services and medical staff in Gaza.
The statement warned that international silence and inaction in the face of such attacks amount to complicity and grant the occupation a green light to continue committing crimes.
According to the ministry, the death toll from the ongoing aggression has reached 62,744 martyrs and 158,259 injuries since October 7, 2023. Between March 18, 2025, and today, the ministry documented 10,900 martyrs and 46,218 injuries.
Among the victims are Palestinians killed while seeking aid. In the past 24 hours alone, 28 people were martyred and 184 injured while attempting to collect humanitarian assistance, bringing the total to 2,123 aid martyrs and more than 15,615 injuries reported at hospitals.
Hospitals in Gaza also recorded 11 new deaths from famine and malnutrition in the past 24 hours, including two children, raising the overall toll to 300 deaths, among them 117 children.
Palestinian Resistance factions denounce Zionist barbarism
Ahrar Movement: Confirmed the killing of four journalists and one civil defense member in the bombing of the Al-Yassin building within the hospital. Called on the international community to protect journalists in Gaza and urged global media to intensify coverage of “israel’s” crimes