Mourners carry the body of Palestinian cameraman Hussam al-Masri, who was a contractor for Reuters, after he was killed along with other journalists and people in Israeli strikes on Nasser hospital, in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, Monday.Credit: Stringer/Reuters

International journalist organizations denounced Israel on Monday after a strike on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital killed at least 20 Palestinians, including five journalists, in what watchdogs described as a grave escalation against the press.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, the Foreign Press Association and Reporters Sans Frontières, or Reporters Without Borders, issued statements “fiercely condemning” the Israeli attack on the hospital in Khan Yunis.

The fatalities included one reporter, Al-Quds News’ Ahmed Abu Aziz, and four photojournalists: Reuters’ Hussam al-Masri and Al Jazeera’s Mohamed Salameh, Al-Quds News’ and freelance photographers Mariam Dagga and Moaz Abu Taha.

The strike on Nasser Hospital was carried out in two waves: the first hit the fourth floor, and the second targeted medical teams treating the wounded. Approximately 50 Palestinians, including journalists and medical staff, were reportedly wounded.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the strike, saying it “regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and does not target journalists as such” and that it acts to “mitigate harm … while maintaining the safety of IDF troops.” The Chief of General Staff has ordered an initial inquiry “as soon as possible.”

People and rescuers work to recover the body of Palestinian cameraman Hussam al-Masri, who was a contractor for Reuters.Credit: Hatem Khaled/Reuters

Reporters Without Borders director General Thibaut Bruttin said, “Four more journalists were killed this Monday morning. 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?”

“The protection of journalists is guaranteed by international law, yet more than 200 of them have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza over the past two years,” he added. "Ten years after the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2222, which protects journalists in times of conflict, the Israeli army is flouting its application.

A man reacts as he holds the equipment used by Palestinian cameraman Hussam al-Masri, who was a contractor for Reuters, at the site where he was killed.Credit: Hatem Khaled/Reuters

“RSF calls for an emergency UN Security Council meeting to ensure this resolution 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” he added.

The Foreign Press Association said it was “outraged and in shock,” adding that Monday’s strike is “among the deadliest Israeli attacks on journalists working for international media since the Gaza war began.”

The association demanded an “immediate explanation from the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office,” and urged Israel “once and for all to halt its abhorrent practice of targeting journalists.”

“This has gone on far too long,” the organization added. “Too many journalists in Gaza have been killed by Israel without justification. Israel continues to block international journalists from independent access to Gaza.”

“This must be a watershed moment,” they continued. “We appeal to international leaders: do everything you can to protect our colleagues. We cannot do it ourselves.”

The Committee to Protect Journalists’ Regional Director, Sara Qudah, also expressed the need for the murders to end. “Israel’s broadcasted killing of journalists in Gaza continues while the world watches and fails to act firmly on the most horrific attacks the press has ever faced in recent history,” she said.

“These murders must end now. The perpetrators must no longer be allowed to act with impunity.”

Haaretz and Ben Samuels