On August 25, 2025, the world’s attention snapped to the battered stairwell of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, where the aftermath of two devastating Israeli strikes left 22 people dead, including five journalists. The incident, which has since become a flashpoint for international outrage, has sparked fierce debate about military accountability, the safety of journalists in war zones, and the rules of engagement for modern conflict.
According to a comprehensive investigation by Reuters, Israeli forces struck the hospital after mistaking a camera belonging to their own journalist, Hussam al-Masri, for Hamas equipment. The camera, draped in a green-and-white prayer rug to shield it from Gaza’s relentless heat and dust, became the tragic focal point of the attack. Visual evidence and eyewitness testimony reviewed by Reuters established that al-Masri had filmed from the same location for months, often joined by other journalists who used the stairwell as a vantage point to document the chaos engulfing southern Gaza.
The first strike destroyed the camera and instantly killed al-Masri and others nearby. Nine minutes later, as journalists and emergency responders rushed to the site to help the wounded and document the carnage, Israeli forces shelled the stairwell again, killing more—including Associated Press journalist Mariam Dagga and freelancer Moaz Abu Taha. The attack also left Reuters photographer Hatem Khaled wounded; he later described the moment to Reuters, saying, “I couldn’t do anything to help him other than document what had happened.”
The Israeli military initially claimed it was targeting a Hamas camera that posed a threat to its troops. Drone footage, they said, showed a suspicious device on the hospital stairwell, covered with what they believed to be a towel. However, as Reuters discovered, the cloth was actually al-Masri’s prayer rug—a detail confirmed by multiple journalists, visual evidence, and al-Masri’s own family. No other journalist had used a similar setup on that stairwell in recent months.
In a rare admission, a senior Israeli military official told Reuters that troops fired without the required approval from the regional commander, breaching the established chain of command. “We’re looking into this incident to understand what went wrong in the process of execution, acting against a real target that was threatening the forces,” the official said. The military has yet to explain why no warning was issued to hospital staff or media organizations before the attack, why the site was struck twice, or who ultimately authorized the use of tank shells—munitions that experts say were disproportionate for the stated objective.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the strike as a “tragic mishap.” The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement, “The IDF operates to mitigate harm to civilians as much as possible, including journalists. Given the ongoing exchanges of fire, remaining in an active combat zone has inherent risks. The IDF directs its strikes only towards military targets and military operatives, and does not target civilian objects and civilians, including media organizations and journalists as such.”
Yet the explanations have done little to satisfy the international community or the families of those killed. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reports that Israel has killed 201 media workers since the war began nearly two years ago, most of them in Gaza, without publishing any formal investigations or holding soldiers accountable. “None of these incidents prompted a meaningful review of Israel’s rules of engagement, nor did international condemnation lead to any change in the pattern of attacks on journalists over the past two years,” said CPJ regional director Sara Qudah.
The Foreign Press Association (FPA) demanded an immediate explanation from Israel for the deaths of the five journalists at Nasser Hospital. “We demand an immediate explanation from the Israel Defense Forces and the prime minister’s office,” the group said, adding a call for Israel to “once and for all halt its abhorrent practice of targeting journalists.”
Al Jazeera condemned the attack in the strongest terms, accusing Israeli forces of targeting media as part of a “systematic campaign to silence the truth.” The Associated Press, which lost journalist Mariam Dagga in the strike, said it was “shocked and saddened” and highlighted Dagga’s relentless reporting from Nasser Hospital, where she had focused on the plight of starving children and overburdened doctors.
UN agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), also condemned the strikes. “The killing of journalists in Gaza should shock the world—not into stunned silence but into action, demanding accountability and justice,” said UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus added, “We cannot say it loudly enough: STOP the attack on health care. Ceasefire now!”
The strike at Nasser Hospital is not an isolated event. Reuters and other outlets have documented a troubling pattern: since October 2023, over 200 journalists have been killed by Israeli military actions in Gaza, Israel, and Lebanon—many while clearly identified as press. In one notable case, Al Jazeera correspondent Shireen Abu Akleh was shot dead while wearing a marked press vest in the West Bank in May 2022. Despite initial denials, the Israeli military later admitted there was a “high possibility” she was accidentally hit by IDF gunfire, but no criminal investigation was launched.
Legal scholars interviewed by Reuters noted that attacks on hospitals are generally considered war crimes, with only narrow exceptions under international law. Even when a hospital is used for harmful activity, attackers must provide warning and ensure that civilian harm is not excessive relative to military advantage. In the case of Nasser Hospital, no warning was given, despite the IDF having contact information for hospital staff and being aware of the journalists’ regular presence. “If they had warned us, we would have prevented this catastrophe,” said Mohammed Saqer, head of nursing at Nasser Hospital.
The incident has also intensified political pressure. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul voiced opposition to Israel’s planned new military offensive into Gaza City, where approximately one million civilians remain, arguing that such actions do not promote the defense of international law or civilian protection. Meanwhile, Israel’s military chief reportedly urged Prime Minister Netanyahu to accept a US-brokered ceasefire proposal to secure the release of hostages, highlighting the complex interplay between military operations and diplomatic efforts.
As the dust settles on the stairwell of Nasser Hospital, the world is left grappling with uncomfortable questions. How can journalists continue to bear witness in conflict zones if their safety cannot be guaranteed? What mechanisms exist to ensure accountability when mistakes turn deadly? For now, families mourn, colleagues demand answers, and the international community waits—impatiently—for a reckoning that has yet to arrive.
