Israel strike on Gaza hospital kills fifteen people including journalists

At least fifteen people, including four journalists, have been killed after an Israeli airstrike on a hospital in southern Gaza.

The Gaza health ministry said there had been two strikes - the first on the fourth floor of the Nasser Hospital, while the second blast came as ambulance crews attempted to retrieve the injured and dead. Health workers and journalists are reported to be among the dead, including an Al Jazeera and NBC reporter. "The number of journalist martyrs rises to 244 after the announcement of the martyrdom of four journalists in the targeting of Nasser Hospital," Gaza's Government Media Office said in a statement.

It named the deceased reporters as Reuters photojournalist Hossam Al-Masri, Al Jazeera cameraman Mohammed Salama, Mariam Abu Daqa, who worked with several media outlets including the Independent Arabic and Associated Press, and NBC journalist Moaz Abu Taha. "The journalist colleagues were martyred when the Israeli occupation committed a horrific crime by bombing a group of journalists who were on a press coverage mission at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis Governorate and many martyrs fell victim to this crime.

READ MORE: Costa hotel hit by food poisoning as over 100 tourists including baby fall ill

READ MORE: 'Devoted' father dies in front of his children in tragic Muriwai Beach accident

"We hold the Israeli occupation, the American administration, and the countries participating in the genocide crime such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and France fully responsible for committing these heinous brutal crimes."

A British surgeon who worked at Nasser Hosptial over the summer described the latest attack as "barbarism in the extreme." Consultant surgeon Professor Nick Maynard told Sky News this was a "typical double strike that the Israelis use frequently," referring to an attack that targets an area, then hits it again shortly after - typically when emergency services arrive on scene to respond.
"I've been working in these hospitals, once the hospitals are being bombed, you have to concentrate on your job," he said.

It comes just weeks after five Al Jazeera employees, described as among the "last remaining voices within Gaza", were killed in an Israeli attack that sparked global outrage. Correspondents Anas Al-Sharif and Mohammed Qreiqeh, camera operators Ibrahim Zaher and Moamen Aliwa, and their assistant Mohammed Noufal, died on Sunday following a strike on a tent near al Shifa Hospital in Gaza on August 10.

This is a breaking news story. Follow us on Google News, Flipboard, Apple News, Twitter, Facebook or visit The Mirror homepage.