A double Israeli strike on a hospital in Gaza killed 20 people including journalists and health workers, according to the outlets they worked for, the World Health Organization, and the Hamas-run health ministry.
At least one person was killed in an initial strike, and others in a second attack minutes later as rescuers and journalists attended the scene at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis.
The five journalists worked for international media outlets, including the Associated Press, Reuters, Al Jazeera, and Middle East Eye.
Later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident a "tragic mishap" which Israel "deeply regrets" and stated that military authorities were conducting a thorough investigation.
How the attack unfolded
The first strike hit at around 10:00 local time, medical staff at Nasser said. There was "mass panic... chaos", said a British medical professional working at the hospital, who was treating patients in the intensive care unit at the time. Approximately 10 minutes later, there was another blast in the same spot, the medical professional said, adding that medical staff had been planning their escape from the building when the second strike hit.
The hospital's emergency department, inpatient ward, and surgical unit were hit, according to the World Health Organization. Its head, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, mentioned that the emergency staircase was also damaged.
A livestream by Al Ghad TV shows several emergency workers responding to the first strike, while a number of journalists filmed what was happening. A staircase, often used by journalists to broadcast from, was visible in the video when a strike hit the emergency workers and reporters, sending smoke and rubble into the air.
Who were the victims?
The identities of the slain journalists have been confirmed, while few details are known about other fatalities. The Hamas-run health ministry indicated that rescuers and patients were also among those killed.
Husam al-Masri worked as a cameraman for Reuters. He was killed during a live TV feed for the agency. Mariam Dagga, a 33-year-old freelance journalist for the Associated Press, was also killed. She is survived by a son who had been evacuated from Gaza earlier in the conflict.
Mohammad Salama worked for Al Jazeera and Middle East Eye and was planning to marry another journalist, Hala Asfour. Ahmed Abu Aziz and Moaz Abu Taha, also freelancers, were killed while covering the ongoing conflict.
Wider reaction to the killings
The UN Secretary-General condemned the "horrific killings" at the hospital and called for a prompt investigation. Reactions from various global leaders highlight the urgent need for accountability and protection for journalists in conflict zones.
