'Double-tap' strike suggests killing of civilians, rescuers and journalists was deliberate

Israel's twin strike on the Nasser hospital in Gaza, which killed five journalists, including staff working for the Associated Press, Reuters, NBC and Al Jazeera, is a potential violation of international law writ large.

- Peter Beaumont

The attack targeted a civilian building, specifically a hospital, in a reckless double-tap strike that killed civilians, rescue workers and journalists among them. All categories that should be protected under international law.

While the Israel Defense Forces - which has killed about 200 journalists already in the war in Gaza - attempted to suggest the killing of civilians had been in error, the reality is that it appears to be policy and not a mistake.

What is striking about this incident is that each individual element - the targeting of a working hospital, of journalists and rescue workers, of civilians injured already under treatment - would be expected to draw accusations of a war crime in its own right.

Taken together, it points to something far darker, a "horrific" incident in the words of the British foreign secretary, David Lammy.

As well as the 20 killed in the strikes, another 50 were injured, according to the head of the World Health Organization, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, including patients who were already critically ill. "While people in #Gaza are being starved, their already limited access to health care is being further crippled by repeated attacks," Ghebreyesus said on X. "We cannot say it loudly enough: STOP attacks on health care. Ceasefire now!"