The Committee to Protect Journalists says at least 178 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Israel and Lebanon since the start of the war
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — Israeli forces bombed the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis on Tuesday, killing two people. The fatalities include journalist Hassan Aslih. Several civilians, including patients and hospital staff, sustained injuries in the bombing.
According to Hamas sources, the attack occurred at dawn and ended a brief pause in fighting to allow the release of a US-Israeli hostage, a report in Al Jazeera said.
“The Israeli army bombed the surgery building at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis at dawn on Tuesday, killing journalist Hassan Aslih,” said Gaza Civil Defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal.
Aslih, head of the Alam24 news outlet, was at the hospital for treatment after being wounded in a strike on April 7, AFP quoted him as saying.
Two other journalists, Ahmed Mansur and Hilmi Al-Faqaawi, were killed in that bombing, according to reports at the time. The Israeli military said the April strike had targeted Aslih, alleging he operated for Hamas “under the guise of a journalist.”
It said Aslih had “infiltrated Israeli territory and participated in the murderous massacre carried out by Hamas” on October 7, 2023.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned the strike. It said Aslih had worked for international media outlets until 2023, when the pro-Israeli watchdog HonestReporting published a photo of him being kissed by then-Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
The CPJ says at least 178 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Israel and Lebanon since the start of the war.
Israel had paused military operations in Gaza to allow for the release of Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old US-Israeli soldier, held hostage since October 2023.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an end to Israel’s blockade of Gaza, after a leading global hunger monitor said the entire population of the enclave faces the risk of famine.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 52,862 Palestinians and wounded 119,648, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The Government Media Office updated the death toll to more than 61,700, saying thousands of people missing under the rubble are presumed dead.
