Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a speech on Wednesday (August 27) that her government condemned the "unjustifiable" killing of journalists in Gaza.

Israel struck Nasser Hospital in the south of the Gaza Strip on Monday (August 25), killing at least 20 people, including five journalists who worked for Reuters, the Associated Press, Al Jazeera and others.

"It is an unacceptable attack on press freedom and on all those who courageously risk their lives to report on the tragedy of war," she said during a political conference in the beach town of Rimini.

Meloni is one of the last Western leaders to condemn Monday's strike, which has drawn wide international criticism. Israel has said the journalists were not the target of its Nasser Hospital strike.

Israel is preparing to launch a new offensive in Gaza City, which it describes as Hamas' last bastion. Around half of the enclave's two million people are currently living there and Israel has said they will be told to evacuate.

"We did not hesitate to defend Israel, but at the same time we cannot remain silent now in the face of a reaction that has gone far beyond the principle of proportionality, killing innocent victims and threatening Christian communities, jeopardizing the historic (two-state) solution," she said.

Meloni also called on Israel to end its military occupation of Gaza, to allow aid into the Palestinian enclave and halt the expansion of settlements in the West Bank.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

TALIAN PRIME MINISTER GIORGIA MELONI SAYING HER GOVERNMENT CONDEMNED THE "UNJUSTIFIABLE" KILLING OF JOURNALISTS IN GAZA

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: RIMINI, ITALY (AUGUST 27, 2025) (GOVERNMENT TV - Access all)

1. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER GIORGIA MELONI SAYING:

''We did not hesitate for a single moment in supporting Israel's right to security and self-defence after the October 7 massacre, a horror that will remain on the conscience of the terrorists who have been using civilians in Gaza as human shields for too long. However, at the same time, we cannot remain silent in the face of a reaction that has gone beyond the principle of proportionality, claiming too many innocent victims and even threatening Christian communities, which have always been a balancing factor in the region, and which is now definitively jeopardising the historic prospect of a two-state solution.''

2. WHITE FLASH

3. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER GIORGIA MELONI SAYING:

''I would also like to take this opportunity to say that we condemn the unjustifiable killing of journalists in Gaza, an unacceptable attack on press freedom and on all those who courageously risk their lives to report on the tragedy of war.''

4. WHITE FLASH

5. (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER GIORGIA MELONI SAYING:

''We call on all nations and all political forces to exert every possible pressure on Hamas to release the Israeli hostages still being held, and we call on Israel to cease its attacks, to end its military occupation of Gaza, to halt the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, to allow full access for humanitarian aid to the (Gaza) Strip, and to start from the proposals of the Arab countries to define a framework of stability and security.''