Israel’s navy issued an announcement Tuesday saying its preliminary investigation right into a strike the day gone by that killed at the very least 20 individuals, together with 5 journalists, on the Nasser Hospital within the southern Gaza Strip had focused a digicam that it mentioned was being utilized by Hamas for surveillance.
The Israel Protection Forces mentioned troops in Khan Younis recognized a digicam “getting used to look at the exercise of IDF troops, with a view to direct terrorist actions towards them.”
The IDF didn’t present proof to again the assertion, however mentioned it was “additional supported” by beforehand documented Hamas utilization of hospitals “by the terrorist organizations all through the battle, and by intelligence confirming Hamas’ use of the Nasser Hospital to hold out terrorist actions for the reason that begin of the battle.”
The Israeli navy’s clarification contrasted with a assertion from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued just a few hours after the incident, expressing remorse for what he referred to as a “tragic mishap,” with no suggestion of a selected Hamas goal on the hospital.
“Israel values the work of journalists, medical employees, and all civilians,” Netanyahu’s workplace mentioned within the assertion launched on social media. “The navy authorities are conducting an intensive investigation. Our battle is with Hamas terrorists. Our simply targets are defeating Hamas and bringing our hostages house.”
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In what witnesses described as a double-tap strike by Israeli drones — with one missile putting the hospital adopted by one other as individuals gathered to evaluate the injury and attend to the wounded — 5 Palestinian journalists had been killed on Monday.
Their identities had been confirmed as Hossam al-Masri, who labored for the Reuters information company, Mohammed Salama, who labored for Al Jazeera, and freelance journalists Maryam Abu Daqqa, Moaz Abu Taha and Ahmad Abu Aziz.
The Related Press’ information director for the Center East, Jon Gambrell, mentioned in a social media submit that Abu Daqqa had “freelanced for the AP for the reason that Gaza battle started.”
Center East Eye, a U.Ok.-based media outlet specializing in the area, mentioned Abu Aziz had been working for the group.
The strike was among the many deadliest of a number of which have hit hospitals and journalists over the course of the 22-month battle in Gaza, and it got here as Israel plans to widen its offensive to closely populated areas within the densely populated Palestinian territory.
The primary strike hit a prime flooring of a constructing at Nasser Hospital. Minutes later, as journalists and rescuers in orange vests rushed up an exterior staircase to achieve the scene of the primary blast, a second missile hit, mentioned Dr. Ahmed al-Farra, head of Nasser’s pediatrics division.
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In a assertion issued Monday, the International Press Affiliation, which represents journalists working in Israel and the Palestinian territories, mentioned it was “outraged and in shock” over the killings of media employees.
“That is among the many deadliest Israeli assaults on journalists working for worldwide media for the reason that Gaza battle started,” the group mentioned. “These strikes hit the outside staircase of the hospital the place journalists steadily stationed themselves with their cameras. The strikes got here with no warning.”
The IDF, in its Tuesday assertion, mentioned Israeli forces, having recognized the alleged surveillance digicam, “operated to take away the menace by putting and dismantling the digicam and the inquiry confirmed that the troops operated to take away the menace.”
The IDF mentioned six of these killed within the assault “had been terrorists, certainly one of whom took half within the infiltration into Israeli territory on October seventh. On the similar time, the Chief of the Basic Workers regrets any hurt precipitated to civilians.”
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The IDF didn’t establish the alleged terrorists killed within the strike, or clarify the proof used to make the dedication that they had been terrorists. Nor did the IDF counsel something had been intentionally focused within the strike aside from the purported digicam.
The navy mentioned the chief of employees had ordered additional investigation into each “the authorization course of previous to the strike, together with the ammunition permitted for the strike and the timing of the authorization,” and the “resolution making course of within the discipline.”
President Trump, requested concerning the lethal strike on Monday, mentioned he had been unaware till the query was put to him.
“When did this occur?” Mr. Trump requested a reporter within the White Home. “I did not know that. Nicely, I am not glad about it. I do not need to see it. On the similar time, now we have to finish that entire nightmare.”
Israel has come underneath mounting strain over the variety of journalists being killed in its navy operations in Gaza — together with in focused strikes towards people whom Israeli officers declare had been Hamas operatives.
At the least 197 journalists and media employees have been killed in Gaza, the Israeli-occupied West Financial institution, and in Lebanon since Israel launched its battle towards Hamas in Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas-orchestrated terrorist assault on Oct. 7, 2023, based on the Committee to Defend Journalists.
That battle has killed greater than 60,000 individuals in Gaza, based on the Palestinian enclave’s Hamas-run Well being Ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants in its figures. The Hamas-led assault virtually two years in the past killed 1,200 individuals in southern Israel and noticed 251 others taken as hostages into Gaza.
