5 Palestinians killed, several injured as Israel targets Gaza hospital

At least five Palestinians were killed and several others injured last night when the Israeli occupation army shelled the Nasser Hospital in Gaza’s Khan Yunis, the Ministry of Health reported.

The strike targeted the hospital’s surgical ward, killing five including a 16-year-old while wounding several other patients and medical staff, it said in a statement.

The ministry said one of the victims was found amid the rubble of the surgical department, where he had undergone surgery two days prior.

The Israeli military acknowledged the strike in a statement, claiming that it killed a key Hamas member.

The group released a statement saying that Ismail Barhoum, a member of its political bureau, was killed in an Israeli strike on a section of Nasser Medical Hospital in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, while receiving treatment.

READ: Gaza death toll tops 50,000 as Israel kills 41 more Palestinians

Witnesses said the attack targeted the second floor of the hospital, igniting fires at the facility.

Nasser Hospital is one of the largest medical facilities in southern Gaza, housing a significant number of patients and injured civilians.

The Israeli army has killed more than 700 Palestinians and injured over 1,000 since launching a surprise aerial campaign on Gaza last Tuesday, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.

Since the start of its genocidal war on Gaza, Israel has attacked, burned and destroyed 34 hospitals, rendering them inoperable, according to the Gaza Government Media Office.

More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and more than 113,200 injured in a brutal Israeli military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.

READ: Senior Hamas leader killed in Israeli air strike on southern Gaza