Times of Israel reported on the IDF's statement on Tuesday saying that its preliminary investigation into Monday’s attack on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis found that Hamas had installed a surveillance camera on hospital grounds. Also that six of the people killed were terror operatives, including one who took part in the massacre on October 7 2023.
Hebrew media later reported that IDF Southern Command had only authorized a drone strike on the Hamas surveillance camera but did not approve the use of tank shells that ultimately caused the deaths, including those of several journalists.
According to the reports, Golani Brigade troops first identified the Hamas-installed camera, believed to be monitoring Israeli troop movements. Southern Command approved a drone strike to neutralize the device. Shortly afterward, troops spotted what they thought was a rifle scope, assessed it as an immediate threat, and urgently sought approval to fire.
Among those killed — more than 20, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, a figure that has not been independently verified — were Reuters cameraman Hussam al-Masri, AP freelancer Mariam Dagga, and Al Jazeera contributor Mohammed Salama.
Channel 12, citing military sources, reported that 18 people were killed in total, including 10 Hamas operatives, though the IDF has so far confirmed only six.
Following the initial investigation’s findings, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir ordered the probe expanded to scrutinize the approval process for the strike, including the timing of the attack, the type of munitions used, and the chain of decision-making on the ground.
A military spokesperson said later Tuesday that the Reuters and Associated Press journalists killed in the attack were not “a target of the strike.”
https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-widens-nasser-hospital-probe-amid-questions-over-tank-shelling-authorization/