The United Nations has called on Israel to ensure accountability for its 'double-tap' bombing of Nasser hospital in Gaza, which killed 20 people including five journalists. 'There needs to be justice,' Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the UN human rights office, told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday.
The strike on Monday hit the last functioning public hospital in southern Gaza twice, with the second attack occurring 15 minutes after the first as rescue crews and journalists arrived to evacuate the wounded. Among the dead were journalists working for Reuters, Associated Press, and Al Jazeera, as well as independent reporters, drawing global condemnation.
The Israeli military released initial findings claiming soldiers aimed to destroy a camera used by Hamas and that six of those killed were 'terrorists'. However, the statement failed to address why a double-tap strike was conducted on medics and journalists, or whether anyone would be held accountable. The UN spokesperson noted that previous Israeli investigations into unlawful killings in Gaza have been closed without resolution.
A report by Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) this month revealed that 88% of Israel's investigations into war crime allegations in Gaza were shut down or left unresolved, including probes into the killing of 112 Palestinians waiting for flour and an airstrike that killed 45 in a tent encampment. Researchers said this suggested a 'pattern of impunity'.
Israel has repeatedly struck hospitals during the 22-month conflict, with the World Health Organisation reporting 33 of 36 hospitals damaged. At least 247 Palestinian journalists have been killed, making Gaza the deadliest place for media workers. French President Emmanuel Macron called the strikes 'intolerable', stating that civilians and journalists must be protected.
