New Delhi [India], August 27 (ANI): The Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday called the killing of journalists in southern Gaza 'shocking and deeply regrettable.'

Responding to media queries. MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, 'The killing of journalists is shocking and deeply regrettable. India has always condemned the loss of civilian lives in conflict. We understand that the Israeli authorities have already instituted an investigation.'

The statement comes after Israel struck Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, killing at least 21 people, including five journalists, in a 'double-tap' attack, amid intensifying Israeli offensives in the besieged enclave.

Among the journalists killed were Al Jazeera's Mohammad Salama, Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri, and Mariam Abu Daqqa, a freelance journalist working for AP at the time.

The Prime Minister's Office of Israel expressed deep regret over the tragic mishap at the Nasser Hospital in Gaza.

In a post on X, the office said, 'Israel deeply regrets the tragic mishap that occurred today at the Nasser Hospital in Gaza. Israel values the work of journalists, medical staff, and all civilians.'

Speaking about the findings of the preliminary investigation of the attack, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that Hamas had installed a surveillance camera on hospital grounds and that six of the more than 20 people killed were terror operatives, including one who took part in the October 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel, Times of Israel reported.

Hamas had installed the camera, which Golani Brigade troops believed was observing their movement. The Southern Command approved a drone strike to dismantle the camera. The troops, afterwards, spotted what they thought was a rifle scope, assessed it as an immediate threat, and urgently sought approval to fire, the report revealed.

The report clarified that the division commander authorised tank fire, but the Southern Command did not. In the end, two shells were fired at the site, followed by two more after armed men were identified, for a total of four.

Al Jazeera's Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah, said the attack 'has sent the entire area into an absolute sense of chaos and panic... not only for passers-by or people living in the vicinity of the hospital, but for the patients themselves, who are receiving treatment in one of the areas that must be protected under... international humanitarian law.'

Dr Ahmed al-Farra, head of the paediatrics department at Nasser Hospital, described the attack as a 'double-tap,' saying the first strike hit the top floor of the building, followed minutes later by a second projectile as journalists and rescuers rushed up an external staircase.

Israeli attacks across Gaza have killed at least 61 people since dawn Monday, including seven seeking aid. Gaza's Civil Defence said Israel has destroyed 1,000 buildings in Gaza City since August 6, trapping hundreds under rubble, while ongoing shelling and blocked access routes have prevented rescue and aid operations. (ANI)