An Israeli air strike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis has killed at least two people, including a senior Hamas official and a 16-year-old boy, according to Hamas and health officials.
Hamas, in a statement, confirmed the death of Ismail Barhoum, a member of the group’s political bureau, who was undergoing treatment at the hospital at the time of the attack late Sunday. The armed group condemned the strike, calling it a violation of international laws and an example of Israel’s "systematic killing" of Palestinian civilians and leadership.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed that Barhoum was the intended target of the attack. The Israeli military justified the operation, stating that the strike was conducted with "precise munitions" following an intelligence-gathering process.
"Hamas exploits civilian infrastructure while brutally endangering the Gazan population—cynically using an active hospital as a shelter for planning and executing murderous terrorist attacks in a direct violation of international law," the Israeli military said in a statement.
Medical infrastructure in ruins
The attack left extensive damage to Nasser Hospital’s surgical ward for male patients, according to medical personnel. Feroze Sidhwa, a trauma surgeon volunteering at the hospital, confirmed that the 16-year-old boy killed in the strike had been his patient.
"I operated on him on March 18. He probably would have gone home tomorrow, but now he’s dead," Sidhwa told Al Jazeera. He added that the ward had been rendered unusable, with its electrical system destroyed, windows shattered, and ceilings collapsed.
Doctors at the hospital reportedly spent hours extinguishing fires caused by the attack. Health workers warned that medical facilities across Gaza remain overwhelmed, with dwindling supplies amid an ongoing blockade that has kept border crossings shut for 21 days.
Escalation in Gaza
Barhoum’s assassination came hours after Hamas confirmed the killing of Salah al-Bardawil, another senior leader, in an Israeli strike on a tent shelter in Khan Younis.
Israel has killed four members of Hamas’s political bureau since Tuesday, when it resumed large-scale military operations following a deadlock in ceasefire negotiations.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to worsen. Footage from outside Nasser Hospital showed a fireball erupting from the upper floors as an Al Jazeera correspondent prepared to go live.
The situation remains tense, with reports of intensified Israeli strikes in Beit Lahia in the north and Rafah in the south. Palestinian health officials say over 600 people have been killed since Israel resumed its assault, with dozens of fatalities in the last 24 hours alone.
