SAEDNEWS: A report by Western media reveals that the Israeli regime may have deliberately targeted the five journalists that were killed in the strike on Gaza's Nasser Hospital on August 25.
The Associated Press has conducted an extensive investigation into an Israeli military strike on Gaza's Nasser Hospital that killed 22 people, including five journalists, on August 25. Among the victims was Mariam Dagga, who worked for AP and other news organizations, as cited by a report by Al Mayadeen. The investigation raises serious concerns about the Israeli military's justification for the attack and how it was executed.
According to AP's reporting, Israeli forces targeted what they claimed was a Hamas observation post on the hospital's external stairwell. The military claimed they observed "suspicious behavior" involving a camera covered with a towel, which they interpreted as an attempt at concealment.
However, the Associated Press investigation revealed that the camera actually belonged to Reuters video journalist Hussam al-Masri, who was killed in the initial strike. AP gathered evidence showing that al-Masri routinely covered his equipment with white cloth, a standard practice among journalists worldwide to protect cameras from sun and dust. Witnesses told AP that al-Masri had been broadcasting live from this location almost daily for weeks prior to the attack.
The investigation found that Israeli forces had been observing the position by drone, including about 40 minutes before the strike, which should have provided sufficient time to properly identify al-Masri and recognize him as a journalist doing his job.
AP's investigation documented that "Israel" struck the hospital four separate times on August 25, all without advance warning. The news agency's analysis also revealed several concerning aspects of how the attacks were carried out:
Within ten minutes of the first strike, Israeli forces hit the same location again while medical workers and journalists, including Dagga, had arrived to help the wounded and report on the incident. According to AP's reporting, experts in international law consider such "double-tap" attacks to potentially constitute war crimes, as they appear designed to target rescue workers and first responders.