LONDON: British MPs have urged the government to take tougher action against Israel after an investigation by The Independent and Independent Arabia raised questions over possible war crimes in an attack on Gaza’s Nasser Medical Complex that killed more than 20 people, including five journalists.
The attack, on Aug. 25, 2025, in Khan Younis, killed Independent Arabia correspondent Mariam Abu Dagga and Hussam Al-Masri, a cameraman from Reuters.
According to The Independent, the investigation was based on 17 eyewitness accounts, two Israeli whistleblowers, weapons experts and international law specialists.
It found that an initial Israeli tank strike killed Al-Masri while he was operating a Reuters live camera from an external stairwell at the hospital.
Eight minutes later, as journalists, medics and first responders gathered at the scene, further tank rounds struck the same area, killing more than 20 people.
The Israeli military said it regretted harm to uninvolved individuals and denied deliberately targeting journalists. It said troops had identified a camera it believed had been positioned by Hamas to monitor Israeli forces, and claimed six militants were killed.
However, The Independent reported that the camera was a Reuters live-feed camera routinely used by journalists.
The investigation also said two of the six people described by Israel as militants were a hospital employee and a civil defense worker involved in the rescue operation.
Kevin Jon Heller, professor of international law at the University of Copenhagen’s Centre for Military Studies, told The Independent that a prosecutor could “reasonably conclude” that the evidence pointed to the possible war crimes of intentionally attacking civilians and launching a disproportionate attack, particularly in relation to the second strike.
The Israeli military declined to respond to the investigation’s individual findings, saying its review remained ongoing under its General Staff Fact-Finding and Assessment Mechanism.
The findings prompted calls for stronger action from British lawmakers.
Sarah Champion, Labour MP and chair of the International Development Committee, said the international community had a responsibility to uphold the Geneva Conventions.
“Where is our outrage over journalists seemingly becoming a legitimate target?” she told The Independent.
Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran said the findings strengthened the case for international legal scrutiny and urged the UK to hand over any relevant evidence requested by international courts.
Labour MP Rachael Maskell called on the government to increase sanctions and cease trade with Israel.
“The evidence continues to mount of the war crimes that have been committed, and justice must be served through the international courts,” she said.
Lawyer Helena Kennedy also called for an international inquiry into the deaths of journalists in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank.
A UK government spokesperson described the Nasser Hospital attack as “horrific” and said civilians, journalists and humanitarian workers must be protected.
The government pointed to its recognition of Palestine, suspension of trade negotiations with Israel and diplomatic pressure over the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
