Donald Trump voiced displeasure over an Israeli strike on a
Gaza hospital that killed at least 20, stating he was unaware of the attack
beforehand.
On Monday, Israel bombed the Al-Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza. Five journalists from Reuters, the Associated Press, Al Jazeera and other media were killed.
“Well, I’m not happy about it. I don’t want to see it. At the same time, we have to end that ... nightmare,”
Trump told reporters.
When questioned about the strike at the White House on Monday, Trump responded,
"I didn't know that."
Israel felt great sorrow for what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a "tragic mishap," according to his office. Mr Netanyahu said that Israel's war is with Hamas and expressed that it respects journalists and medical workers.
Israel's military admitted to hitting the Al-Nasser hospital area and stated that the general staff commander had directed an investigation.
The strikes are "an open war against free media, with the aim of terrorizing journalists and preventing them from fulfilling their professional duty of exposing its crimes to the world," according to the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate, which denounced Israel for the attacks.
According to the syndicate, since the war began on October 7, 2023, Israeli fire in Gaza has murdered almost 240 Palestinian journalists.
The Committee to Protect Journalists called for "the international community to hold Israel accountable for its ongoing unlawful assaults on the press."
The organization noted that there were 197 journalists and media workers killed since the start of the conflict, including 189 Palestinians in Gaza.
How might this hospital strike change US pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza?
An assault of this nature, particularly on a health centre,
to kill civilians and journalists, will draw international condemnations and
humanitarian concerns and will have the U.S. and allies pushing for an urgent
cessation of violence to alleviate suffering.
There will be heavy pressure on Israel to enable access and deliveries of humanitarian aid into Gaza without hindrance, as hospitals are bursting at the seams, and medical supplies are running out from the blockade and continuing assaults.
It is likely to intensify diplomatic efforts, including from the U.S., to achieve an immediate ceasefire or negotiated truce, so as to avoid additional civilian deaths and worsening humanitarian disaster.