The attack left five people dead, including medics, the Palestinian militant group has said
A senior Hamas political leader was among five people killed in an Israeli airstrike on a hospital in Gaza on Sunday, the Palestinian militant group has said. Medical staff were also reportedly among the victims.
Israel has launched a renewed offensive in Gaza after a ceasefire between Hamas and the Jewish state expired on March 1. The two sides have been unable to agree on how to extend the truce, which was initially brokered by the US and Arab states.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Sunday’s strike hit the surgery department at the Nesser Medical Complex in Khan Younis. Doctors working at the facility told CNN that the airstrike took place at night and left part of the hospital in flames.
The Israeli military said it carried out a strike on a “key terrorist in the Hamas terrorist organization who was operating inside [the hospital].” It claimed that extensive intelligence had been conducted before the attack, and that it involved precision munitions to minimize harm.
Hamas has since stated that a member of its political office, Ismail Barhoum, as well as his nephew, Ibrahim, were killed in the attack. The Hamas-affiliated Al-Aqsa TV has reported that Bahroum had been receiving medical treatment at the Nasser Medical Complex for injuries sustained in a separate Israeli airstrike last week.
The Palestinian militant group has described Barhoum’s death as evidence of Israel’s “disregard for international norms and agreements,” given that hospitals are entitled to special protection during armed conflict under the Geneva conventions.
The Israeli military announced the resumption of both air and ground operations in the enclave last week after accusing the Palestinian group of refusing to release hostages and rejecting revised terms on extending the ceasefire.
“Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has said.
Hamas has accused Israel of “unilaterally” ending the ceasefire, according to Reuters.
Palestinian authorities said on Sunday that more than 50,000 people have been killed in Gaza after nearly 18 months of fighting in the enclave.
The war between Israel and Hamas broke out after Palestinian militants carried out a surprise attack on Israeli cities on October 7, 2023, leaving around 1,200 people dead and taking around 250 hostages.
