An Israeli attack on a central medical facility in the southern Gaza Strip has killed at least 20 people.
According to information from the local Ministry of Health, the victims on the fourth level of Nasser Hospital died after a shell hit the building, and a second attack on the same area occurred when rescue teams arrived.
Khan Younis's largest hospital, despite constant airstrikes and shelling over 22 months of conflict, continues to function in conditions of a catastrophic shortage of medicines and qualified personnel.
The deaths of five media workers, including 33-year-old television journalist Mariam Dagga, who had been working for the Associated Press since the fighting began, were confirmed by government sources.
Freelance correspondent Dagga has been covering in recent reports the efforts of doctors to save children without chronic illnesses who were dying from malnutrition. Representatives of the Al Jazeera and Reuters television networks also said they had lost colleagues in the incident.
The Israel-Hamas standoff has been the deadliest for media workers, with 192 members of the press killed in Gaza during the conflict, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
In addition to the 15 casualties at Nasser Hospital, medical facilities in northern Gaza reported deaths from shelling along routes to humanitarian aid points.
Shifa Hospital reports three Palestinians killed, including a minor, in strike on urban area as Israeli army announces preparations to expand ground operation
According to Al-Awda Hospital, six civilians heading for humanitarian aid were killed in the shelling, and 15 received varying degrees of injury.
Systematic attacks on medical facilities continue: most hospitals in Gaza have been shelled or targeted by special operations. The Israeli military claims the presence of militants in hospitals without public confirmation.
The Health Ministry said the June incident at Nasser Hospital left three people dead and ten injured.
At the time, the military command announced the elimination of Hamas militants operating from their headquarters on the hospital grounds. A March strike on the operating room, days after the ceasefire collapsed, claimed two lives.
The Hamas-controlled Health Ministry said in a statement on Sunday that 62,686 Palestinians had died in the war.
The agency does not separate the figures for military and civilians, but claims that almost 50% of the victims are women and children. The UN and international observers recognize this statistic as the most reliable. Israel disputes the figures, without providing alternative data.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
