Israeli strike hits Gaza hospital, three journalists killed

An Israeli strike hit the compound of al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City on June 5th, killing five people, including three journalists, the BBC reported.

According to the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, the victims also included a father accompanying his son who was on his way to surgery and another individual. The attack injured 30 others, such as four hospital employees. The Diocese strongly condemned the strike, while the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate accused Israel of committing a war crime.

The Israeli military stated it had targeted a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad allegedly operating from a command centre within the hospital yard. Video footage from the scene showed chaos as medics rushed to help victims. Israel has not released evidence to support its claim.

The Journalists’ Syndicate reported that the strike killed journalists from Palestine Today and Shams News Network. Four other journalists suffered injuries, with two being in critical condition.

According to the BBC on June 6th, as cited by Maghrebi, the Israeli military confirmed it had carried out an unannounced strike on the al-Mawasi area in Gaza. The admission was announced in a BBC Verify investigation.

The artillery strike killed one Palestinian and caused 30 others to sustain injuries. The Israeli army said the incident was due to “technical and operational errors” after the artillery “deviated” from its intended target. The affected area was home to many displaced Palestinians.

Additionally, Middle East Eye reported on April 1st that the Watson Institute’s Cost of War project at Brown University states that more journalists have been killed in Gaza by Israel since October 7th, 2023 “than the US Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War (including the conflicts in Cambodia and Laos), the wars in Yugoslavia in the 1990s and 2000s, and the post-9/11 war in Afghanistan, combined.”

BBC, Middle East Eye, Maghrebi.org