New Delhi: India Wednesday termed the reported killing of five journalists in Israeli airstrikes at a hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, as “shocking and deeply regrettable”.
“The killing of journalists is shocking and deeply regrettable. India has always condemned the loss of civilian lives in conflict. We understand that the Israeli authorities have already instituted an investigation,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
India last month reiterated its backing for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict and called for a ceasefire, release of hostages, and uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
The journalists killed Monday were from various international media organisations. They included 33-year-old Mariam Dagga, a visual journalist who freelanced for The Associated Press and other outlets, Reuters’ contractor cameraman Hussam al-Masri and Moaz Abu Taha, another freelancer.
According to media reports, the journalists lost their lives after Israeli forces struck one of the main hospitals, Al Nasser, in Gaza. A second strike on the same facility reportedly killed at least 20 people and left many others wounded. A sixth journalist, Hassan Douhan, was reported killed in a separate incident in Khan Younis later Monday.
The hospital strike in Khan Younis marks one of the deadliest Israeli attacks on both media personnel and medical infrastructure in its 22-month-long war in Gaza.
The escalation follows Israel’s announcement of plans to expand its military operations into densely populated areas of Gaza as part of its broader objective to dismantle the Palestinian militant group Hamas, following the latter’s October 2023 attack on Israel.
The development also comes weeks after the killing of prominent Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al-Sharif and four other journalists in an Israeli strike near al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office described the incident as a “tragic mishap”, noting that the military had launched an investigation. However, no further details have been provided regarding the nature of the “mishap”. His office issued a statement affirming that Israel “values the work of journalists”.
AP and Reuters have issued a joint letter demanding an official explanation from the Israeli authorities for the incident.
“We are outraged that independent journalists were among the victims of this strike on the hospital, a location that is protected under international law. These journalists were present in their professional capacity, doing critical work bearing witness. Their work is especially vital in light of Israel’s nearly two-year ban on foreign journalists entering Gaza,” the statement said.
The recent deaths raise the number of journalists killed in Gaza in nearly two years of conflict to 192, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The US-based watchdog has accused Israel of carrying out “the deadliest and most deliberate effort to kill and silence journalists” in its history.
“Palestinian journalists are being threatened, directly targeted, and killed by Israeli forces, and are also being arbitrarily detained and tortured in retaliation for their reporting,” the committee said in a statement.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
Also Read: ‘Israel created Hamas’ but we will not label it a terrorist group, says Palestine’s envoy to India