The past two weeks’ airstrikes on Nasser Hospital in Gaza have generated fierce outcry and condemnation. According to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the operation was aimed at neutralizing the threat of a camera. On October 17, five colleagues were murdered. The legality and morality of the strikes involved has been called into serious question after this catastrophic event. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has attempted to walk back the claim, since defining it as a “tragic mishap.”
The Israel Defense Forces’ narrative has begun to shift. They claim that their forces were justified in shooting down a camera they believed Hamas had installed. Initial accounts of the incident highlighted the first strike hitting the exterior staircase of Nasser Hospital at approximately 10:08 a.m. local time. The attack immediately killed Hussam Al-Masri, a regular Reuters contributor and father of four, whose camera feed suddenly cut black.
Nine minutes after that, emergency responders and reporters were on the scene, tending to the injured. Without warning, a second strike struck the hospital compound, killing hundreds more people. This tactic, dubbed the “double tap,” has earned heavy criticism for its blatant ineffectiveness towards the safety of civilians. Overall, the IDF said that six of those killed in the strikes had been designated terrorists.
“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.” – Reuters and Associated Press in a joint letter to Israeli officials.
As of the last report, Mariam and Moath, both Palestinian journalists, were two of the five journalists killed. Both of them intimately collaborated with the Associated Press (AP) and Reuters throughout the war. Ahmed Abu Aziz, a freelance visual journalist, was killed in the strike. Killed was Mohammad Salama, a freelance cameraman for Al Jazeera in Gaza. Each dedicated journalist was doing their best, under difficult circumstances, to shine a spotlight on the major humanitarian crisis that was developing unstoppable across the region.
Following this tragic event, Prime Minister Netanyahu said he was deeply sorry. He called what is happening at Nasser Hospital a “humanitarian catastrophe” and said that Israel “profoundly regrets” what occurred. His remarks indicate the growing public pressure on Israeli officials. First, they need to hold Israel accountable for civilian casualties as the military assault in Gaza continues.
“For the past two years, we have all been subjected to killing, destruction and starvation.” – Salah Mansour, surgical department supervisor at Nasser Medical Complex.
Salah Mansour, head of surgery at Nasser Medical Complex. He underscored the crisis that medical personnel and non-combatants in Gaza are experiencing at this point. He claimed the highest degree of protection under international law should apply to medical facilities. Yet, cries for safety should not be the stance that healthcare workers are taking in the midst of this violence, he regretted.
To no one’s surprise, academic experts have attempted to explain the incident as well. Hurst Hannum, professor emeritus of International Law at Tufts University, has been among the most outspoken on the IDF’s actions. He condemned them as an “the use of extreme force. He contended that the rationale for these types of strikes needs to be analyzed through the lens of humanitarian law fundamentals.
“It seems like, to me, an extreme use of force by simply shelling the hospital to get this camera – not only once but twice.” – Hurst Hannum, professor emeritus of International Law at Tufts University.
Hannum stressed that there must be proportionality in military operations. He continued that international law permits harming civilians only when such harm is the overall minimum necessary to accomplish the legitimate military objective. He questioned whether Israel would be able to demonstrate that this operation was necessary or proportional in nature.
The IDF’s assertion that it “appears” a Hamas camera was present raises additional questions about intelligence accuracy and operational protocols. As a spokesperson for Reuters explained, that’s not true. They had not coordinated with the IDF the exact location of their cameraman within Nasser Hospital. They confirmed that daily feeds had been sent up from the hospital location that in the end would come beneath attack.
“Reuters did not inform the IDF of our cameraman’s specific location at Nasser hospital.” – Reuters spokesperson.
As investigations into this tragic occurrence proceed, the need for accountability grows more urgent. Like journalists, humanitarian workers are under constant threat in conflict zones. As militarized operations run rampant across Indian Country, their safety and rights are put in greater danger. The extraordinary loss of life at Nasser Hospital serves as a tragic reminder of the human toll of wartime violence. It amplifies the call to ensure a civilian and media presence is protected in conflict zones.
