Israel has been widely condemned for an attack its forces conducted on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis that killed at least 21 people, including five journalists, one of whom worked for Al Jazeera.

The attack on Monday consisted of two strikes – or a ‘double tap’ – the second of which was captured on camera, showing journalists and rescuers on a staircase being directly hit.

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Israel has now killed more than 270 journalists and media workers in Gaza since its war started in October 2023. The journalists killed in the Nasser Hospital attack were not even all of those killed by Israel on Monday – a sixth journalist, Hassan Douhan, who worked as a correspondent for Al-Hayat al-Jadida newspaper, was killed in a separate incident in Khan Younis later on Monday.

The journalists killed were part of an increasingly close-knit but dwindling media community in Gaza. They had already endured almost two years of war, which had affected not just their work but also their personal lives.

Ahmed Abu Aziz

Ahmed Abu Aziz, 29, was known among colleagues for his quiet demeanour, humility and kindness.

Capable of writing and filming, Ahmed was well-respected among Gaza’s media community, and he worked with a number of outlets and organisations, including Middle East Eye, Quds Feed and the Independent Commission for Human Rights.

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The difficulty of travelling around Gaza during the war did not stop Ahmed. He would often travel long distances across the Gaza Strip on foot to chase stories and document Israeli war crimes against Palestinian civilians.

Ahmed married in July last year and was also pursuing a doctorate at the Institute of Press and Information Sciences in Tunisia, which mourned his killing and condemned the targeting of journalists in Gaza.

Hussam al-Masri

Hussam al-Masri, 49, was a photojournalist with Palestine TV and also worked as a contractor for the Reuters news agency. Hussam operated a live video feed for Reuters from Nasser Hospital, which the news agency said “suddenly shut down at the moment of the initial [Israeli] strike”.

Hussam’s dedication to his work came even as he carried personal burdens.

Writing on Instagram after Hussam had been killed, journalist Amr Tabash recalled that days earlier, Hussam had asked him in a broken voice: “Can you help me evacuate my wife? Her illness is consuming her, and I can no longer bear to watch her suffer.”

Amr described Hussam as tireless in helping others and said he had been among the last to leave Nasser Hospital during an Israeli siege in December. Amr asked that people help Hussam’s wife now that he is no longer able to.

“Hussam is gone, and his wife remains, fighting cancer alone, carrying double the pain after losing her partner and support,” Amr wrote. “For Hussam’s sake, for the mission he devoted his life to, and for his children, do not let his wife face death in silence.”

Mariam Abu Daqqa

Mariam Abu Daqqa was a 33-year-old Palestinian journalist and mother of a 13-year-old boy named Ghaith.

Out of fear for Ghaith’s safety during the war, Mariam sent him to live with his father in the United Arab Emirates.

Mariam was a freelance photographer working with several international agencies, including The Associated Press, and contributed to Independent Arabia.

She was well known among her colleagues for her dedication and relentless drive to document the suffering of the Palestinian people. She stood on the front lines, among the journalists covering the war at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, even under repeated Israeli assaults on Gaza.

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Mariam documented many human stories that revealed what Palestinians are enduring under siege and bombardment.

Mariam was also devoted to her family. She had previously donated one of her kidneys to save her father, who had kidney failure. But she could not save her mother, who died from cancer four months ago due to a lack of treatment available in Gaza.

Mohammad Salama

Mohammad Salama was a 24-year-old photojournalist and cameraman with Al Jazeera in Gaza. Born in Abasan al-Kabira, east of Khan Younis, he grew up and studied in the town’s schools.

He joined Al Jazeera as a cameraman in February 2024. He was known among his colleagues for his professionalism, dedication, cheerful smile and light-hearted spirit, even in the darkest circumstances.

Mohammad lost his mother in childhood and lived with his father and relatives. In November – on his birthday – he got engaged to fellow journalist Hala Asfour, hoping to hold a wedding once there was a truce or ceasefire.

Mohammad studied at a vocational college, earning a diploma in photography. From a young age, he was passionate about photojournalism, taking numerous courses and shadowing veteran journalists to hone his skills.

He was one of a few journalists left in Khan Younis after an Israeli operation in the city in December 2023, but he was temporarily forced to leave the following February when Israeli forces stormed Nasser Hospital, expelling displaced civilians, journalists and medical teams at gunpoint.

He would later be killed at the same hospital, the 10th Al Jazeera journalist killed in the war.

Moaz Abu Taha

Moaz Abu Taha was a 27-year-old Palestinian freelance video journalist.

One of the younger generation of photojournalists, Moaz documented the devastation of Gaza until his life was cut short alongside his colleagues.

He was deeply shaken by the killing of fellow Al Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif two weeks earlier, writing on Facebook: “By God, our strength is gone.”

Moaz was known for his humour, kindness and humanity and often helped patients, the needy and children.

His brother, journalist Adly Abu Taha, called him up after hearing about the initial strike on Nasser Hospital: “I called him immediately. He answered and said, ‘I’m fine, but Hussam al-Masri has been killed. I told him, ‘May God have mercy on him,’ and begged him to leave.”

“He said, ‘I’ll just finish filming Hussam. Then I’ll go.’ Minutes later, another strike hit. I called again. His phone was off. I rushed to the hospital, searched everywhere, even in the morgue, until I found him, without a head. I recognised him only from his clothes.”