August 26, 2025 | 12:41 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) admitted on Monday evening, August 25, 2025, to mistakenly attacking Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. The two Israeli air strikes resulted in the deaths of at least 20 people, including 5 prominent journalists from Reuters and other media outlets.
According to The Jerusalem Post, the Israeli military acknowledged that the attack on the hospital had been approved based on intelligence of a Hamas target. However, the IDF stated they are investigating the attack, calling the significant casualties a crucial mistake. The IDF claimed it did not intend to harm journalists or innocent civilians.
Previously, IDF sources had insisted the Israeli Air Force was not responsible for the attacks, instead blaming the IDF Southern Command, led by Major General Yaniv Asur.
High-ranking officials must generally approve attacks on hospitals. Since Asur took over command of IDF operations in Gaza in March, sources within the Israeli Air Force have criticized him for being less meticulous in avoiding civilian casualties than his predecessor, Major General Yaron Finkleman.
An investigation by +972 Magazine, Local Call, and The Guardian last week revealed that data from Israel's internal intelligence database shows at least 83% of Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza were civilians.
This figure contradicts public statements from the army and Israeli government officials who have consistently claimed a civilian-to-militant casualty ratio of 1:1 or 2:1. The confidential data support several studies indicating that Israeli bombings in Gaza have resulted in a rare rate of civilian casualties for modern warfare.
The Israeli military confirmed the existence of this database, which is managed by the Military Intelligence Directorate ("Aman"). One intelligence source familiar with the database said, "There's nowhere else to check it," highlighting it as the military's only official count of militant casualties.
Journalists Killed in the Attack
Cameraman Hussam al-Masri, one of the journalists killed in the attack, was a contractor for Reuters. Photographer Hatem Khaled, also a contractor for Reuters, was injured.
Gaza officials identified four other journalists as Mariam Abu Dagga, a freelancer for AP and various media since the beginning of the conflict; Mohammed Salama, who works for Al Jazeera based in Qatar; and Moaz Abu Taha, who works for NBC.
Medical sources also confirmed to Anadolu that the fifth slain journalist was Ahmed Abu Aziz, a freelance reporter for Quds Network, who died from severe injuries sustained in the Israeli attack. A rescue worker was also among those killed, according to health officials.
Nasser Hospital Director Atef al-Hout told Al-Arabiya television that the hospital was operating at full capacity, treating over 1,000 patients when the attack occurred. He also reported that over 50 people were injured.
The Nasser Hospital had been threatened with bombing before. After the Israeli military invasion of Khan Younis last year, medical teams evacuated at least 300 bodies from mass graves found inside the hospital.
Following intensive humanitarian efforts to rehabilitate it, the hospital resumed operations and began treating the wounded. However, the hospital has repeatedly come under attack by the Israeli military.
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