Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a speech on Wednesday that her government condemned the “unjustifiable” killing of journalists in Gaza.

Israel struck Nasser Hospital in the south of the Gaza Strip on Monday, 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, jeopardising 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.