An in-depth investigation by British newspaper The Independent has uncovered compelling evidence suggesting Israel may have violated international law and committed war crimes in a double-tap strike on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza last August, which left 20 people dead, among them practicing journalists, medical workers and emergency first responders.
The deadly incident unfolded in two waves on 25 August 2025. The first Israeli projectile struck and killed Hussam al-Masri, a Reuters cameraman, while he was actively filming at the hospital grounds. Within eight minutes, as journalists, medical staff and rescue workers converged on the site to treat survivors and document the initial attack, Israeli tanks launched two additional projectiles directly into the gathered crowd. This second, fatal strike was even captured live on international television, leaving 19 dead.
Among the victims were Mohamed Salama and Ahmed Abu Aziz, contributors to regional outlet Middle East Eye, and Mariam Abu Dagga, a correspondent for The Independent. The investigation confirmed that two of the six people Israel labeled as “terrorists” were in fact a hospital employee and a civil defence rescuer who had been assisting with recovery efforts after the first strike.
International law experts consulted by The Independent say the attack raises severe red flags for potential war crimes under the Geneva Conventions, including the deliberate targeting of unarmed civilians and the launch of a disproportionate military attack that far outweighed any claimed military gain. Of particular legal concern, experts emphasized, is the deliberately timed second strike against people responding to the initial blast.
Israel has repeatedly denied committing war crimes in its Gaza military campaign and maintains it does not intentionally target journalists. At the time of the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – who already faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant over prior allegations of war crimes – characterized the incident as a “tragic mishap”. The Israeli military justified the strike by claiming it had targeted a camera that Hamas had placed to monitor Israeli troops.
However, interviews with Israeli whistleblowers obtained by The Independent reveal that any strike on a Gazan hospital requires formal approval at least at the battalion command level, as well as advance operational planning, contradicting framing of the incident as an accidental error. The investigation also found that despite having contact information for hospital administration, the Israeli military never reached out to Nasser Hospital to address its purported concerns about the camera before launching the lethal attack.
Following the release of The Independent’s findings, British cross-party members of parliament have called on the UK government to hold Israeli authorities legally accountable for the strike. Sarah Champion, Labour chair of the House of Commons International Development Committee, questioned the international community’s apparent willingness to accept the killing of civilians and aid workers without consequences, noting that the 77-year-old Geneva Conventions were created to set clear rules of war that must be enforced.
Layla Moran, a Liberal Democrat MP, raised concerns that the UK may be holding relevant evidence that it has failed to share with ongoing international investigations into alleged Israeli war crimes and acts of genocide, calling on British authorities to proactively turn over all relevant materials to appropriate judicial bodies. Labour MP Rachael Maskell echoed calls for accountability through international courts, saying that medics operating in Gaza have reported systemic targeted attacks on humanitarian workers, including through sniper fire and drone strikes. She urged the UK to adopt sweeping measures, including ending all trade with Israel and imposing new sanctions on the Israeli government, to force accountability for the actions of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).