An Israeli strike killing five Palestinian journalists in Gaza on Monday marked one of the deadliest events for media officials working in the war, adding to the toll of nearly 200 reporters killed in nearly two years of fighting.

Two Israeli strikes on the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, a southern city in the Gaza Strip, killed at least 20 people, including health care workers and journalists; some were killed when responding to the scene of the first strike in what appeared to be a “double tap” attack.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the hospital attack a “tragic mishap” and the Israeli military launched an investigation, claiming Hamas militants were killed in the strike. But critics and press freedom advocates accuse Israel of failing to provide accountability, at best, and in some cases intentionally targeting journalists.

The reporters killed Monday were Mohammed Salama, who worked for Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera; Mariam Abu Dagga, a contributor for The Associated Press; Hussam Al Masri, a contractor for Reuters; Moaz Abu Taha, a freelance journalist who contributed to Reuters and NBC; and Ahmed Abu Aziz, a correspondent for the U.K.-based Middle East Eye.

“When does the supposed bug in the system become its feature?” asked Dion Nissenbaum, executive producer and lead investigator on the documentary “Who killed Shireen?” which investigated the killing of American-Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh in May 2022 in the West Bank.

“There's so many incidents where there are direct assaults and nothing changes in how Israel is fighting a war.”

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has documented 189 Palestinian journalists killed by Israeli forces in Gaza over the course of the war. The CPJ said in total 197 journalists and media workers were killed over the course of the war, including Israeli journalists killed by Hamas when the U.S.-designated terrorist group launched its attack against Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Even at this scale, the Nasser Hospital strike was particularly shocking for press freedom advocates and audiences who watched in real time as rescue workers and journalists, responding to an initial strike on the........

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