Two Israeli airstrikes hit Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on Monday. One strike on the fourth floor. A second — the infamous “double tap” — as rescue crews rushed in. Result: at least 20 dead, including five journalists, medical staff, patients, and rescue workers.
And Israel’s response? You already know the script.
- “We regret any harm to uninvolved individuals.”
- “An immediate inquiry has been ordered.”
- “We do not target journalists as such.”
Ah yes, the greatest hits. A playlist on repeat for two years and counting.
Regret as Policy
Let’s pause for a moment. Because Israel’s regret machine is working overtime.
- 188 journalists already killed in Gaza before this strike. Every time: regret, inquiry, silence, repeat.
- World Central Kitchen convoy slaughtered? Netanyahu’s war machine offered regret. Then inquiry. Then buried the outrage until Jake Wood, the CEO himself, publicly exploded.
- The Flour Massacre? Hundreds starved Palestinians gunned down in cold blood. Again, regret. Inquiry. Silence.
- Aid sites of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation? Strikes on food warehouses, convoys, aid workers. This time? Not even the courtesy of regret. Why waste regret on anonymous Palestinians, right?
It’s almost like Israel’s military press office has a pre-saved template:
“We regret [insert number] of dead [insert civilians/journalists/aid workers]. An inquiry is underway. Please tune out until next massacre.”
Journalists as Targets of “Non-Targeting”
The dead this time:
- Hussam al-Masri – Reuters contractor.
- Mohammed Salama – Al Jazeera cameraman.
- Mariam Dagga (33) – Associated Press freelancer, mother. Her 12-year-old son was already evacuated from Gaza. She had been reporting on children starving in hospital beds.
- Moaz Abu Taha – Freelance journalist, occasional Reuters contributor.
- Ahmad Abu Aziz – Middle East Eye contributor.
These weren’t faceless names. They were the lifeline for the outside world, the reporters the globe depended on because Israel bars international journalists from entering Gaza. They were literally standing where cameras always stood — at the hospital staircase — when the missiles came down.
Israel says it doesn’t “target journalists as such.” A phrase so absurd it deserves its own Oscar in the category of Best Euphemism for Assassination.
The Double Tap of Truth
Let’s not gloss over this: witnesses and video evidence show a double strike. First hit: the hospital’s fourth floor. Second hit: the rescuers and journalists running in.
Rights groups call this a war crime. Israel calls it an “inquiry.” The rest of us call it what it is: the silencing of truth in real time, live on Al-Ghad TV’s camera feed.
The World Still Relies on the Voices It Allows to Die
Because remember: Israel banned the world’s press from entering Gaza. So the world has been forced to rely on Palestinian journalists, reporting under bombardment and starvation.
Now five more are dead. And Israel regrets. Always regrets. Always investigates. Never changes.
Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Journalists counts at least 192 journalists killed since this war began. One of the deadliest wars for media workers in modern history. And still, Israeli officials will shrug and repeat: “Hamas uses hospitals.”
Final Irony
Hospitals in Gaza are reduced to rubble. Aid convoys bombed. Food warehouses torched. Journalists silenced. And every time, Israel shakes its head: “Oops. Regret. Inquiry.”
But let’s be clear: regret without accountability is not remorse. It’s performance.
Inquiry without justice is not truth. It’s theatre.
And as long as the world keeps swallowing this theatre, Gaza’s journalists, aid workers, and starving civilians will continue to be buried under Israel’s “regret.”
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