Hospitals and journalists must 'not be targets,' says UN

Journalists and hospitals should never be targeted, the U.N. said Monday after an Israeli strike on a hospital in Gaza killed at least 20 people, including five journalists.

"Journalists are not a target. Hospitals are not a target," said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. "The killing of journalists in Gaza should shock the world—not into stunned silence, but into action," she insisted.

At the same time, the head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) denounced the "shocking" inaction of the international community in the face of the conflict in Gaza. This strike amounts to "silencing the last voices denouncing the silent deaths of children dying from famine," Philippe Lazzarini said on X, adding: "The world's indifference and inaction are shocking."

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy reacted by saying he was "horrified" by the strike. "I am horrified by the Israeli attack on Nasser Hospital. Civilians, healthcare professionals and journalists must be protected," he wrote on the social network X, reiterating a call for "an immediate cease-fire."