Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday strongly condemned the killings of journalists in Gaza’s Khan Younis. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described the brutal killings as “shocking” and “deeply regrettable” 

The journalists were among at least 20 people killed in the strikes on Nasser hospital in Khan Younis on Monday. 

‘Shocking, deeply regrettable’: MEA

“The killing of journalists is shocking and deeply regrettable,” MEA spokesperson Jaiswal said in his statement to the press. 

“India has always condemned loss of civilian lives in conflict. We understand that the Israeli authorities have already instituted an investigation,” he said. 

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Journalists killed in Gaza

Multiple journalists from different outlets, and several others, died due to Israeli strikes on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza. The hospital said at least 20 people died in the attack on Monday, while many others were left injured. A CNN report identified some of the killed journalists as Mohammad Salama, a cameraman from Al Jazeera, Hussam Al-Masri, who was a contractor for Reuters, Mariam Abu Dagga, who has worked with the Associated Press and Moath Abu Taha, a freelance journalist.

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Israel’s second such attack on Gaza 

This comes nearly two weeks after Israeli Defence Forces executed four Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza. In their previous strike in Southern Gaza on August 10, Israeli Defence forces neutralised a 28-year-old correspondent for Al Jazeera named Anas al-Sharif, whom Israel had recently called “the head of a Hamas terrorist cell”. 

Sharif had been reporting from the war-torn country since the beginning. The other journalists killed earlier this month have been identified as correspondent Mohammed Qreiqeh, cameraman Ibrahim Zaher, and crew driver and cameraman Mohammed Noufal, Al Jazeera reported.

The strikes hit a tent used by journalists, attracting strong international condemnation, including from the United Nations, Qatar, and media freedom groups.

Al Jazeera and several media freedom groups have denied Israel’s claims that Sharif worked for Hamas. Also, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has not commented on the killings of the journalists.