Global Condemnation After Israel Bombs Same Gaza Hospital Twice

Journalists and rescuers killed after rushing to help victims of first strike

- William Christou Malak A Tantesh Gaza

Israel bombed the main hospital in southern Gaza yesterday and then struck the same spot again as rescuers and journalists rushed to help the wounded, killing at least 20 people including five journalists, health officials said.

The first strike hit the top floor of a building at the Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, killing the Reuters journalist Hussam al-Masri and others. Fifteen minutes later, as journalists and rescuers arrived at the scene to help the wounded, a second bomb struck the same spot.

A live video from Al Ghad TV captured the moments of their killings, showing civil defence workers wearing bright orange vests and journalists raising their hands to shield themselves seconds before the second bomb killed them. A second video showed the aftermath of the bombings, with the bodies of the first responders and journalists lying on top of one another, bloody and covered in dust.

The "double tap" strike and killing of journalists prompted a wave of international condemnation, including from the UK foreign secretary, David Lammy.

"Horrified by Israel's attack on Nasser hospital. Civilians, healthcare workers and journalists must be protected.

We need an immediate ceasefire," Lammy wrote on X.

The US president, Donald Trump, told reporters: "I'm not happy about it," when asked about the attack, and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, described it as "intolerable".

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel deeply regretted what he described as a "tragic mishap".