China on Tuesday voiced outrage at the killing of journalists in Gaza, calling the latest Israeli strike on the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis “shocking” and demanding accountability for the attack.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters in Beijing that China “mourns for the lives lost and expresses sympathies with the bereaved families,” after six journalists were confirmed among at least 47 people killed in Monday’s strike on the hospital compound. “We condemn the attack and are closely following what is happening in Gaza,” he said.
The incident has sparked renewed global condemnation of Israel’s conduct in the war, which has now killed more journalists than any modern conflict, according to press freedom organizations. Since October 2023, at least 246 Palestinian journalists have lost their lives in the fighting, a toll that media watchdogs describe as unprecedented.
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The Foreign Press Association, representing international correspondents in Israel and the Palestinian territories, denounced Monday’s strike as “outrageous” and “shocking.” The association said the blast struck an exterior staircase at the Nasser Medical Complex — a spot where journalists regularly gathered with their cameras — and stressed that no warning was given beforehand. “We demand an immediate explanation from the Israel Defense Forces and the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office,” the group said, urging Israel to halt what it called “the abhorrent practice of targeting journalists.”
The strike comes against the backdrop of staggering losses in Gaza. More than 62,700 Palestinians have been killed since Israel’s military campaign began last October, according to health officials, with entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble and famine looming over the enclave’s population.
International legal bodies have also stepped in. In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, citing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel is simultaneously defending itself against a genocide case at the International Court of Justice, further intensifying international scrutiny of its conduct.
