ISRAELI forces bombed a hospital in Khan Younis today, killing freelance photojournalist Hassan Aslih and one other, and injuring several patients and hospital staff.

Mr Aslih, who had been recovering from injuries sustained in a previous strike on the same hospital in April, died in the drone attack that hit the Nasser Medical Complex’s surgical wing.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said that 46 people had been killed and 73 wounded in Israeli attacks over the previous 24 hours, with the total toll reaching at least 52,908.

Mr Aslih was widely respected for his front-line coverage of the war and had worked with both international and local media outlets. 

He had documented the October 7 Hamas assault with photos and videos from inside Israeli territory, prompting the Israeli military to accuse him of participating in the attack.

Gaza government media office director Ismail al-Thawabta dismissed those allegations in April, calling them “false” and politically motivated attempts to justify attacks on media workers.

Israel acknowledged carrying out the strike on Nasser Hospital, claiming it was “a targeted attack on key terrorists,” but did not name Mr Aslih in its statement.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) emergency co-ordinator Claire Manera said that the attack “comes as the ongoing siege is already taking its toll on healthcare workers who are struggling to treat patients with little to no supplies.”

The UN human rights office condemned what it called Israel’s “pattern of deadly attacks on and near hospitals in Gaza,” warning that such actions may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity.

According to Gaza officials, at least 35 hospitals across the Strip have been bombed or burned since the war began.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation’s representative for Palestine Rik Peeperkorn warned that hunger and malnutrition are leaving long-term impacts on children.

“Without enough nutritious food, clean water, and access to healthcare, an entire generation will be permanently affected,” he said, describing children who appear years younger than their actual age.

No food has entered Gaza for more than two months due to Israel’s continuing blockade.

Israeli officials have admitted to using the denial of food, water and essential supplies as a pressure tactic to secure the release of captives held by Hamas.

Also, today, Israel released nine Palestinian detainees near the al-Karara/Kissufim crossing, following the release of Edan Alexander, a US-Israeli soldier, by Hamas on Monday.

Hamas rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that military pressure forced the release, saying: “The return of Edan Alexander is the result of serious communications with the US administration and the efforts of mediators, not a consequence of Israeli aggression or the illusion of military pressure.”

The group added that Mr Netanyahu is “misleading his people.”

More than 380 figures from international cinema have condemned “genocide” in Gaza in an open letter published today before the Cannes Festival opening.

“We cannot remain silent while genocide is taking place in Gaza,” they wrote in the letter.

The signatories include actors Ralph Fiennes, Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon, Spanish director Pedro Almodovar and former Cannes winner Ruben Ostlund.

They also condemned the killing of 25-year-old Gaza photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, who was killed in an Israeli air strike alongside 10 family members last month — the day after a documentary about her life was announced as part of the Cannes selection.

The documentary, by Iranian filmmaker Sepideh Farsi, is due to premiere at the event tomorrow.