Israel’s “double-tap” strike kills five journalists in Gaza hospital attack
By isabelle // 2025-08-26
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  • Israel’s deliberate double-tap airstrike on Nasser Hospital in Gaza killed five journalists and 15 others, including medical workers.
  • The attack follows a documented pattern of targeting first responders and reporters, a war crime under the Geneva Conventions.
  • Israel claims it was targeting a Hamas surveillance camera, yet no evidence has been provided, and journalists were known to gather there.
  • This brings the total number of journalists killed by Israel in Gaza to at least 240, with Al Jazeera alone losing 10 reporters.
  • Global leaders condemned the strike, but Israel continues to act with impunity, backed by U.S. military support and international silence.
Why would any government deliberately bomb a hospital? That’s the question the world should be screaming after Israel’s latest atrocity, a “double-tap” airstrike on Nasser Hospital in Gaza that slaughtered five journalists and at least 15 others, including medical workers. This wasn’t just collateral damage. It was a calculated attack, with the second strike hitting first responders and reporters who rushed to the scene. And yet, Israel’s military calls it a “tragic mishap” while promising an “initial inquiry” as if we haven’t seen this script before. The journalists killed — Hussam al-Masri (Reuters), Mohammed Salama (Al Jazeera), Mariam Abu Dagga (Associated Press), Ahmad Abu Aziz (Middle East Eye), and Moas Abu Taha — were doing what brave reporters do: bearing witness to war crimes. Their deaths bring the total number of journalists killed by Israel in Gaza to at least 240, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Al Jazeera alone has lost 10 journalists in this conflict, yet Israel continues to claim it doesn’t target the press.

Horrific double-tap tactic targets first responders

This wasn’t an accident. It was a war crime, plain and simple. The “double-tap” tactic, where a second strike targets rescuers, is a well-documented Israeli military strategy, one that violates the Geneva Conventions. Yet, as always, Israel’s response is the same: deny, deflect, and delay. The IDF admitted to striking the hospital but claimed it was targeting a Hamas surveillance camera on the roof. Even if that were true (and we’ve seen no evidence), why would a “precision” military fire tank shells at a hospital balcony where journalists were known to gather? The Foreign Press Association didn’t mince words: “Israel once and for all must halt its abhorrent practice of targeting journalists.” But will it? History says no. Two weeks ago, Israel killed four Al Jazeera journalists in a strike near al-Shifa Hospital, accusing one of them, Anas al-Sharif, of being a Hamas operative. No proof was ever provided. Just another journalist silenced, another lie peddled. Global outrage poured in. French President Emmanuel Macron called the strike “intolerable.” The UN’s António Guterres demanded protection for journalists and medical workers. Even Donald Trump, who once blindly supported Israel, admitted he was “not happy” about the attack. “At the same time, we have to end that whole nightmare,” he said, although he offered no solution beyond vague optimism that the war would end “in the next two to three weeks.” But words without action mean nothing. The Committee to Protect Journalists has repeatedly warned that Israel is committing war crimes by systematically targeting reporters. Yet here we are, with another massacre, another empty promise of an “investigation,” another cycle of impunity.

Hospitals are not battlefields

Nasser Hospital wasn’t just any building. It was one of the last functioning medical facilities in southern Gaza, already crippled by Israel’s blockade. Doctors Without Borders condemned the strike, noting that some of its staff had to shelter in a laboratory as the bombs fell. “Israel repeatedly struck the building amidst rescue efforts,” said MSF’s Jerome Grimaud. This is how Israel operates: bomb hospitals, starve civilians, silence the press, and call it self-defense. Since October 2023, Israel has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians, including 1,500 health workers, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The IDF’s own data admits that 83 percent of Palestinian deaths are civilians. Yet the U.S. continues to arm Israel, the EU stays silent, and the media still frames this as a “complex conflict” rather than what it is: a genocide streamed live to the world.

The truth is being erased

Al Jazeera called the attack a “heinous massacre” and accused Israel of “violating all international norms and laws.” Hamas stated the obvious: “The cowardly enemy aims to deter journalists from conveying the truth.” And they’re right. When Israel bombs a hospital balcony where reporters film, it’s not a mistake. It’s a message. Mariam Abu Dagga, one of the slain AP journalists, once said: “We are covering the war on Gaza because this is our journalistic duty. It is entrusted upon us… We challenged the Israeli occupation. We challenged the difficult circumstances and the reality of this war, a genocidal war.” Her words now feel prophetic. Israel doesn’t just want to kill Palestinians — it wants to erase the witnesses. Sources for this article include: RT.com TIME.com CNN.com AlJazeera.com
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