Israel 'deeply regrets' double attack at Gaza hospital as 21, including five journalists, killed

Palestinians try to evacuate following Israeli strikes on Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on August 25. (Image: AFP)

After Israel struck a hospital in Gaza that resulted in the death of 21 people, including five journalists, the Prime Minister's Office of Israel expressed deep regret over the tragic mishap at the Nasser Hospital.

In a post on X, the office said, "Israel deeply regrets the tragic mishap that occurred today at the Nasser Hospital in Gaza. Israel values the work of journalists, medical staff, and all civilians."

Israel's military, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), on the other hand, acknowledged striking the area of Nasser hospital and said the chief of the general staff had ordered an inquiry.

The IDF "regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and does not target journalists as such. The IDF acts to mitigate harm to uninvolved individuals as much as possible while maintaining the safety of IDF troops," it said.

The statement came as Israel struck Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza twice, killing at least 21 people, including five journalists, medics, and rescue workers, in a "double-tap" attack, amid intensifying Israeli offensives in the besieged enclave, ANI reported.

Among the journalists killed were Al Jazeera's Mohammad Salama, Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri, and Mariam Abu Daqqa, a freelance journalist working for AP at the time.

Al Jazeera's Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah, said the attack "has sent the entire area into an absolute sense of chaos and panic... not only for passers-by or people living in the vicinity of the hospital, but for the patients themselves, who are receiving treatment in one of the areas that must be protected under... international humanitarian law."

Dr Ahmed al-Farra, head of the paediatrics department at Nasser Hospital, described the attack as a "double-tap," saying the first strike hit the top floor of the building, followed minutes later by a second projectile as journalists and rescuers rushed up an external staircase, ANI reported.

Al Jazeera condemned the attack as "a clear intent to bury the truth." The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate called it "an open war against free media, with the aim of terrorising journalists and preventing them from fulfilling their professional duty of exposing its crimes to the world."

Israeli attacks across Gaza have killed at least 61 people since dawn on Monday, including seven seeking aid. Gaza's Civil Defence said Israel has destroyed 1,000 buildings in Gaza City since August 6, trapping hundreds under rubble, while ongoing shelling and blocked access routes have prevented rescue and aid operations.

The al-Awda Hospital reported Israeli gunfire killed six aid seekers in central Gaza and wounded 15 others. Al-Shifa Hospital said three Palestinians, including a child, were killed in a separate strike.

Al Jazeera reported that Gaza's Ministry of Health confirmed over 2,000 Palestinians have been killed and around 13,500 wounded while seeking aid at distribution points or along UN and aid convoy routes, according to ANI.

Meanwhile, UN humanitarian office OCHA warned of deepening malnutrition among children, saying, "With famine conditions now confirmed in Gaza governorate, hunger and malnutrition among children are deepening... without proper nutrition, water and care, their condition worsens more quickly."

Chris McIntosh, Oxfam's humanitarian response adviser in Gaza, described the situation as

"truly a singular humanitarian disaster and the worst crisis that I've ever been part of... by far."

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump predicted the war could see a "conclusive end" within two to three weeks, adding, "It's got to get over with because between the hunger and all of the other problems - worse than hunger, death, pure death - people [are] being killed."