New Delhi, Aug 27 (UNI) The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) today described the killing of journalists in southern Gaza as “shocking and deeply regrettable.”
Responding to media queries, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “The killing of journalists is shocking and deeply regrettable. India has always condemned the loss of civilian lives in conflict.”
The Israeli military bombed Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on August 25, killing 21 people, including five journalists, in what has been described as a “double-tap” strike on the main medical facility in southern Gaza. Among the journalists killed were Al Jazeera’s Mohammad Salama, Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri, and Mariam Abu Daqqa, a freelance journalist working for AP at the time.
“We understand that the Israeli authorities have already instituted an investigation,” the MEA said in a statement.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it had conducted an initial investigation into the strike on the Nasser hospital in the southern Gaza Strip.
“An initial inquiry regarding the strike on the observation camera at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, which occurred yesterday (Monday), August 25th, 2025, was presented to the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Eyal Zamir,” the IDF said in a statement.
The IDF added that the strike was carried out on a surveillance camera monitoring the activity of the Israeli army and installed in the area of the hospital. It also said that Hamas has been using this hospital for its military purposes since the beginning of the conflict. The strike killed four Hamas fighters, one member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement and another person involved in the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the IDF added. It did not provide information about casualties among journalists or other civilians.
The attack came amid Israel’s intensified offensive to seize Gaza City, the enclave’s main urban centre, despite a famine being declared there last week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu termed the hospital bombing a “tragic mishap.” Later the same day, Israeli forces killed another journalist in a separate incident in Khan Younis, bringing the journalist death toll to six.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office also issued a statement on X, expressing “deep regret” over the incident. “Israel deeply regrets the tragic mishap that occurred today at the Nasser Hospital in Gaza. Israel values the work of journalists, medical staff, and all civilians,” the post read.
