Soldiers said to have shelled hospital after fearing camera being used to track them

Military officials tell Hebrew-language media outlets that an Israeli army tank team shelled a camera stationed at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis earlier today after believing the device was being used to track troops.

Two shells were fired by the tank, with the first targeting the camera and the second hitting rescuers who were operating at the scene. The strike killed 20, including five journalists, according to media reports and Hamas health officials.

According to the Foreign Press Association, the strikes “hit the exterior staircase of the hospital where journalists frequently stationed themselves with their cameras.”

Reuters says its journalist, Hussam al-Masri, had been operating a live video feed from the hospital, which suddenly shut down at the moment of the initial strike.

Reuters and other news providers often deliver live video feeds to media outlets worldwide during major news events to show the scene from the ground in real time. Reuters had frequently broadcast a feed from Nasser hospital during the Gaza conflict, and for the past several weeks had been delivering daily feeds from the Nasser hospital position that was hit.

A review of Masri’s live feed from before the strike did not appear to show any soldiers.

The IDF has not confirmed the details of the Hebrew media reports, but says it has launched an investigation into the deadly incident, which is set to include the question of who approved the strike.

Previously, the military has said that striking sensitive sites in Gaza, such as hospitals, requires the approval of senior officers, including the chief of the Southern Command and the IDF chief of staff.