Gaza marks first anniversary of strike that killed journalists at hospital

A year after Israeli tank fire killed 22 Palestinians outside Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, colleagues, families, and civil defense workers gathered on Tuesday to remember the dead and demand accountability.

Among those killed on August 25, 2025, were journalists Mariam Dagga and Hossam al-Masri, along with medical staff, rescue workers, and patients. No one has been held responsible for the deaths.

At the commemoration, held just meters from the site of the attack, mourners carried photographs of the victims and signs reading "Free Press" and "A crime will never be forgotten."

Mariam's father, Riyad Dagga, appealed to Arab and foreign governments to investigate her killing. "She was performing her duty as a journalist," he said. "There was no reason to target her."

Al-Masri's brother, Ezz al-Din, said the victims' blood "demands not only sorrow but also truth and justice." He added: "We do not want our sons to be mere numbers in international reports. We want their names, faces, and stories to remain alive."

The attack unfolded in two waves. The first strike killed al-Masri and another person. As journalists and rescuers rushed up an external staircase to help the wounded, a second strike killed 20 more people. In total, Israeli forces hit the hospital four times with high-explosive tank shells.

At the time, the Israeli military said the camera used by journalists was being used by Hamas to observe nearby troops, and that six of those killed were linked to the group. No evidence was provided.

However, an Israeli soldier with knowledge of the military's response has since said no evidence linked the camera to Hamas, and that none of the six was the intended target. The army has not commented on those allegations and has not provided details of any investigation.

Questions remain over why troops failed to identify the cameraman, despite journalists being known to film at the hospital, and why a second strike was launched while first responders were on the scene — a tactic that could constitute a war crime.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, more than 200 Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza since the war began in October 2023.