An Israeli drone strike on Thursday morning targeted the courtyard of Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, also known as the Baptist Hospital, in Gaza City, killing at least three Palestinian journalists and critically injuring a fourth.
The attack, which local sources report occurred without prior warning, is the eighth assault on the hospital since its reopening two weeks ago.
According to Al Jazeera, the strike claimed at least 23 lives across Gaza that day, including the journalists and two of their relatives, with approximately 40 others wounded.
The journalists killed were correspondent Suleiman Hajjaj and photographer Ismail Badah of Palestine Today TV, and photographer Samir al-Rifai of Shams News Agency.
Journalist Imad Daloul, also from Palestine Today TV, was critically injured and rushed to intensive care.
Footage from the scene showed bodies scattered across the hospital courtyard, with shrapnel from the drone missile — packed with nails and metal — causing severe injuries and bleeding.
Hamas condemned the attack as a “new war crime,” accusing Israel of systematically targeting journalists to silence their reporting on Gaza. The group stated:
This is part of a systematic Zionist policy targeting Palestinian journalists to silence their voices, deter them from covering the occupation’s crimes in Gaza, and obliterate its just narrative of the enemy’s horrific crimes against our Palestinian people.
Hamas statement.
They called on the international community to protect journalists and hold Israel accountable.
Dr. Fadel Naim, a doctor at Al-Ahli Hospital, described the chaos following the attack.
“Suddenly, we heard a big explosion,” he told Al Jazeera.
Despite the repeated assaults, he emphasized the hospital’s critical role:
“We have no other choice, we are the only hospital in the northern part of Gaza.”
The strike adds to the unprecedented toll on media workers in Gaza, with at least 225 journalists killed since October 2023, according to Arab48.
The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs reports that Israel’s war on Gaza has been the deadliest conflict for journalists, surpassing fatalities in major historical wars combined.
Critics argue that Israel’s actions, including targeting civilian sites like hospitals, reflect a genocidal campaign aimed at suppressing Palestinian voices and erasing evidence of its atrocities.