After an international outcry over its strikes that killed at least 20 people Monday at a hospital in southern Gaza, including five journalists, the Israeli military said it regretted "any harm to uninvolved individuals" and will conduct an inquiry. Medical staff members, rescue workers, and patients also were among those killed, the New York Times reports. The military confirmed only that it conducted a mission in the area of the hospital. In an unusual move, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a similar statement suggesting a military mistake. "Israel deeply regrets the tragic mishap that occurred today at the Nasser Hospital," the office said.
"The killing of journalists in Gaza should shock the world—not into stunned silence—but into action, demanding accountability and justice," said a spokeswoman for the United Nations human rights office. Reuters, the AP, and Al Jazeera said the journalists had worked for them. Al Jazeera condemned the killings as a "horrific crime," per CNN, and said Israeli forces have "directly targeted and assassinated journalists." Reuters and the AP sent a joint letter to Israeli officials skeptical of the inquiry, saying they've found the Israeli military's "willingness and ability to investigate itself in past incidents to rarely result in clarity and action."
The Committee to Protect Journalists urged "the international community to hold Israel accountable for its continued unlawful attacks on the press." Asked at the White House about the strikes, President Trump first said he wasn't aware of them, per Reuters. "When did this happen?" he asked a reporter. "I didn't know that. Well, I'm not happy about it. I don't want to see it. At the same time, we have to end that whole nightmare."
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