The Israeli military’s killing of five Palestinian journalists, including an Al Jazeera cameraman, in Gaza has caused global condemnation, with Al Jazeera Media Network accusing Israel of “assassinating journalists as part of a systematic campaign to silence the truth”.
The Israeli military bombed Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on Monday, killing five journalists, including Al Jazeera photographer Mohammad Salama.
In total, 20 people were killed in a double-tap strike – one missile hitting first, then another moments later as rescue workers and journalists arrived – on southern Gaza’s main medical facility. The attack comes as Israel has intensified its offensive to seize Gaza City, the main urban centre in the enclave of 2.3 million people, despite a famine being declared last week.
Al Jazeera condemned the attack as “a clear intent to bury the truth”.
Here are some reactions to the latest slaughter of media workers in the enclave:
In a statement on Monday, Al Jazeera said it condemns “this horrific crime committed by the Israeli occupation forces, who have directly targeted and assassinated journalists as part of a systematic campaign to silence the truth”.
“The blood of our martyred journalists in Gaza has not yet dried before the Israeli occupation forces committed another crime against Al Jazeera cameraman Mohammad Salama, together with three other photojournalists,” the network said, referring to Israel’s killing barely two weeks prior of renowned Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif, who had become the voice of Gaza for his extensive reporting from the enclave.
Al Jazeera called the attack a violation of international norms and laws, “amounting to war crimes”.
“Despite relentless targeting, Al Jazeera remains resolute in providing live coverage of the Israeli genocide in Gaza for the past 23 months, with occupation authorities barring international media outlets from entering to report on the war,” it added.
Organization of Islamic Cooperation
The Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have been holding an extraordinary meeting in Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah to discuss the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people,
The OIC condemned killing of journalists and media professionals by the Israeli army in Gaza as “war crime” and an “assault on press freedom”.
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP)
The PFLP, a left-wing Palestinian faction founded in 1967, called the attack proof of “the absolute brutality and sadism of the [Israeli] occupation”.
It held Israel and its allies responsible, saying supporters led by the US administration are “fully responsible for this organised crime”.
The PFLP is the second-largest group in the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) after Fatah.
Turkiye
Ankara has denounced Israel’s latest strikes on Gaza as “another war crime”.
“Press freedom and human values have once again been targeted, under the shadow of genocide, amidst the anguished cries of the innocent,” Burhanettin Duran, head of Turkey’s presidential communications directorate, said in a post on X.
“Israel, which continues its atrocities without regard for any humanitarian or legal principles, is under the illusion that it can prevent the truth from being revealed through its systematic attacks on journalists.”
United Kingdom
Britain’s Foreign Minister David Lammy expressed horror at Israel’s latest attack.
“Horrified by Israel’s attack on Nasser hospital. Civilians, healthcare workers and journalists must be protected. We need an immediate ceasefire,” Lammy wrote in a post on X.
Spain
The Spanish foreign ministry issued a statement decrying Israel’s latest strike as a flagrant violation of humanitarian law.
“The Spanish government condemns the Israeli attack on the Nasser Hospital in Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of four journalists and innocent civilians,” the ministry said.
“We reiterate that specially protected sites cannot be targeted. This is a flagrant and unacceptable violation of international humanitarian law, which must be investigated,” it said.
The statement stressed the importance of special protection for journalists and reaffirmed Spain’s “full commitment” to the right of access to information.
Germany
Germany said it was “shocked by the killing of several journalists, rescue workers, and other civilians” in Israeli airstrikes on the Nasser Hospital.
“This attack must be investigated,” the foreign ministry said on X, also calling on Israel to “allow immediate independent foreign media access and afford protection for journalists operating in Gaza”.
France
French President Emmanuel Macron said that Israel’s latest strikes were “intolerable”.
“Civilians and journalists must be protected under all circumstances. The media must be able to carry out their mission freely and independently to cover the reality of the conflict,” Macron said in a post on X. “Reducing a population to famine is a crime that must stop immediately,” he added.
Committee to Protect Journalists
CPJ has condemned the Israeli attack, calling for the international community to hold Israel accountable for its “continued unlawful attacks on the press”.
In a statement, CPJ’s Regional Director Sara Qudah said Israel’s killing of journalists in the enclave continues while “the world watches and fails to act firmly on the most horrific attacks the press has ever faced in recent history.
“These murders must end now. The perpetrators must no longer be allowed to act with impunity,” Qudah said.
Foreign Press Association
The association, which represents international media working in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, says it is “outraged and in shock” after the attack.
In a statement, the group demanded “an immediate explanation” from the Israeli army and the Israeli prime minister’s office.
“We call on Israel once and for all to halt its abhorrent practice of targeting journalists,” it added.
“This must be a watershed moment. We appeal to international leaders: Do everything you can to protect our colleagues. We cannot do it ourselves.”
Reporters Without Borders
The press organisation said it “fiercely condemns” the killings of the journalists.
“How far will the Israeli armed forces go in their gradual effort to eliminate information coming from Gaza? How long will they continue to defy international humanitarian law?” RSF’s Director General Thibaut Bruttin said in a statement.
“RSF calls for an emergency UN Security Council meeting to ensure [that UN Resolution 2222] is finally respected, and that concrete measures are taken to end impunity for crimes against journalists, protect Palestinian journalists, and open access to the Gaza Strip to all reporters.”
Reuters
In a statement, a Reuters spokesperson said the agency is “devastated to learn of the death of Reuters contractor Hussam al-Masri and injuries to another of our contractors, Hatem Khaled, in Israeli strikes on the Nasser Hospital in Gaza today”.
The spokesperson said Reuters is “urgently seeking more information” about the attack and has “asked authorities in Gaza and Israel to help us get urgent medical assistance for Hatem”.
United Nations Secretary-General
Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the killing of Palestinians in Israeli strikes that struck Nasser Hospital and called for a prompt, impartial investigation, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
“The Secretary-General recalls that civilians, including medical personnel and journalists, must be respected and protected at all times. He calls for a prompt, impartial investigation into these killings,” Dujarric told reporters.
UN envoy Francesca Albanese
“Rescuers killed in line of duty. Scenes like this unfold every moment in Gaza, often unseen, largely undocumented,” said Albanese – the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories – in a post on X.
“I beg states: how much more must be witnessed before you act to stop this carnage? Break the blockade. Impose an Arms Embargo. Impose Sanctions,” she wrote.
United Nations rights office
“The killing of journalists in Gaza should shock the world – not into stunned silence but into action, demanding accountability and justice,” UN rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said in a statement, insisting: “Journalists are not a target. Hospitals are not a target.”
UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini
Lazzarini has called for immediate protection for journalists, health professionals and aid workers in Gaza after the latest deadly hospital strike.
In a post on X, Lazzarini expressed shock at what he called the “silencing [of] the last remaining voices reporting about children dying silently and famine” in Gaza.
He urged immediate action to end the famine by lifting restrictions on aid entering the enclave and ensuring protection for reporters and humanitarian and health workers.
