Israel struck Nasser Hospital at least four times during its deadly attack in southern Gaza on Monday, an analysis of new video footage by BBC Verify has found.
The attack, which has attracted international condemnation and widespread anger, reportedly killed at least 20 people, including five journalists.
Initial reports from Gaza said that Israel had struck the hospital twice, with the first blast followed nine minutes later by another which hit first responders and journalists who arrived at the scene.
But new analysis suggests the hospital was struck four times in total. BBC Verify and expert analysis found that two staircases were hit almost simultaneously in the first wave, and while what was thought to be a single later attack was in fact two separate strikes hitting the same place within a fraction of a second.
Israel does not allow international journalists to enter Gaza independently. BBC Verify identified the additional strikes by analysing dozens of videos provided by a freelancer on the ground and material filmed by eyewitnesses that circulated online.
In the first incident, an Israeli strike hit the exterior staircase on the hospital's eastern side at 10:08 local time (07:08 GMT), killing journalist Hussam Al-Masri who was operating a live TV feed for Reuters.
BBC Verify has now identified another previously unreported blast at a northern wing staircase at practically the same time, which was overshadowed by the double-tap strike on the eastern staircase.
Other videos show an injured person being carried down the northern staircase and the hospital's nursing director holding shredded and bloodied clothing which he said was being worn by a nurse while she was working in the operating department when it was hit.
N R Jenzen-Jones - the director of Armament Research Services, an arms and munitions intelligence company - said the footage appears to show interior damage consistent with a relatively small munition, including an entry hole that suggests a munition with a relatively flat trajectory.
Roughly nine minutes later, while dozens of first responders and journalists gathered on the eastern staircase, Israeli forces struck the facility again.
While the blast was documented by media at the time, frame-by-frame analysis of newly emerged footage clearly shows that two separate projectiles fired by Israeli forces hit the hospital milliseconds apart at an exposed stairwell where journalists and emergency workers had gathered.
Experts disagreed on the type of munition used in the third and fourth strikes, with some identifying them as Lahat missiles, a guided munition which can be fired from tanks, drones and helicopters.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had no additional comment on the newly identified blasts when approached by BBC Verify.
Israel's narrative of the attack has evolved since Monday's attack. It initially said it had carried out a strike in the area of the hospital, saying that it regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and that an initial inquiry would be opened as soon as possible. In the hours that followed, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Israel was responsible, deeply regretting the tragic mishap.
Intentionally carrying out attacks on civilians that are "excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated" is prohibited under the Fourth Geneva Convention. The attack has raised serious legal concerns and has prompted calls for accountability.
At least 247 journalists have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to the UN, making it the deadliest conflict for reporters ever documented.
