“Double-strike tactic”: CNN exposes Israel’s targeting of civilians in Gaza

Israel has faced worldwide criticism for its repeated attacks on the largest hospital in southern Gaza in recent days, which left at least 22 dead, including medical staff, rescue personnel, and five journalists.

The attack occurred shortly after 10 a.m. local time on Monday, when the balcony of Al-Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis was hit—apparently by a tank shell—killing a Reuters cameraman and others.

Nine minutes later, as a group of aid workers and journalists rushed to assist the victims, the hospital was struck again by Israeli forces. Israel refers to this type of attack as a “double-strike tactic.”

A new video obtained by CNN shows that the “second strike” actually involved two nearly simultaneous attacks, which appear to have caused the highest number of casualties.

The deliberate targeting of aid workers, journalists, and other civilians constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law and a war crime.

On Monday, the Israeli Prime Minister described the incident as a “tragic mistake.”

However, on Tuesday, the Israeli army defended the hospital strike, claiming that six “terrorists” were targeted and that the objective was “a camera planted by Hamas.” This claim was rejected by Hamas and Gaza’s official information office.

The Israeli army stated it is still investigating “several ambiguities” surrounding the incident and insisted that it does not deliberately target civilians.

CNN, reporting on the details of the so-called double-strike, noted that the first attack occurred at 10:08 a.m. local time, striking the external stairs of Al-Nasser Hospital where Reuters cameraman Hussam Al-Masri was filming. He was killed, and his camera feed was cut off.

According to the report, there was approximately a nine-minute gap between the first and the subsequent two attacks. During this interval, aid workers, civil defense personnel, and journalists rushed to the fourth floor to assist the initial victims and document the strike.

Another Reuters colleague, Hatem Omar, filmed the rescue efforts from above, and these images appear in released videos. At the same time, the Al-Ghad network broadcast live footage from below the hospital, showing aid workers on the stairs. In the video, Omar, wearing a red T-shirt, can be seen filming the rescuers.

Minutes later, at 10:17 a.m. local time, the second and third attacks occurred. CNN generally does not release footage showing the moment individuals are hit, but this video shows the aftermath of those strikes.

Omar, who was injured, told CNN from his hospital bed on Monday: “Journalists, patients, nurses, and civil defense personnel were on the stairs. We were directly targeted.”

Frame-by-frame analysis of another video obtained by CNN shows two more shells fired at the hospital. One struck a staircase where rescuers had gathered, and a fraction of a second later, the other exploded almost at the same spot.

According to N.R. Jenzen-Jones, a weapons expert and director of the Armament Research Institute, the two nearly simultaneous shells seen in the new video were likely fired from multi-purpose tank guns, such as Israel’s M339 model.

He noted that the observed damage from these strikes is consistent with this type of ammunition, “with clear evidence of explosive destruction and shrapnel injuries.”