5 journalists among 20 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza hospital

Gaza's civil defence agency said five journalists were among at least 20 people killed on Monday when Israeli strikes hit a hospital in the south, with Reuters, the Associated Press and Al Jazeera mourning their slain contributors.

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Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said “the toll so far is 20 martyrs, including five journalists and one member of the civil defence,” after strikes hit Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis -- a large medical complex in the south that has been targeted several times by Israel since the start of the war.

According to media watchdogs, around 200 journalists have been killed in nearly two years of war between Israel and Hamas.

In a statement, the Israeli military said its troops on Monday “carried out a strike in the area of Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis.”

“The Chief of the General Staff instructed to conduct an initial inquiry as soon as possible,” it said, adding it “regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and does not target journalists as such”.

The civil defence’s Bassal said an Israeli explosive drone targeted a building at Nasser Hospital, followed by an air strike as the wounded were being evacuated.

A spokesperson for Qatar-based TV network Al Jazeera on Monday said one of its photojournalists and cameramen, Mohammad Salama, was killed in the attack.