An Israeli airstrike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis on Tuesday killed a journalist and injured several civilians, according to Palestinian officials.
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The Israeli military said the strike targeted a Hamas command centre inside the hospital, claiming militants were using the facility to plan and launch attacks. The raid followed a brief pause in fighting to allow the release of a US-Israeli hostage.
Palestinian officials said the bombing killed journalist Hassan Aslih, head of the Alam24 news outlet, who was receiving treatment after being wounded in an earlier Israeli strike on April 7. Two other journalists were reportedly killed in that earlier attack.
The Israeli military accused Aslih of being a Hamas member and participating in the October 7, 2023, assault on Israel, claiming he operated “under the guise of a journalist.”
The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned the hospital strike, noting Aslih’s past work with international media before a pro-Israel group linked him to Hamas leadership. The CPJ says at least 178 journalists and media workers have died since the conflict began.
The strike came shortly after Israel secured the release of 21-year-old dual US-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander, who had been held hostage since last October.
Israel resumed its offensive in Gaza on March 18 after a two-month truce. The war began with a Hamas attack on October 7 that killed over 1,200 people in Israel. Gaza’s health ministry reports over 52,800 deaths since the war began, including at least 2,749 since the fighting resumed.
