An Israeli air strike on a hospital in southern Gaza has killed a minimum of two individuals, together with a senior Hamas official and a 16-year-old boy, Hamas and well being officers have mentioned.
Ismail Barhoum, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, was killed whereas present process remedy at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis late on Sunday, Hamas mentioned in a press release.
“We condemn this newest crime, which provides to the occupation’s lengthy file of terrorism, violating sanctities, lives and medical amenities,” the Palestinian armed group mentioned in a press release.
“It reaffirms its disregard for all worldwide legal guidelines and conventions and its continued coverage of systematic killing in opposition to our individuals and management.”
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed that Barhoum had been the goal of the assault.
Israel’s army mentioned the assault had been carried out with “exact munitions with the intention to mitigate hurt”, following an “in depth intelligence-gathering course of”.
“Hamas exploits civilian infrastructure whereas brutally endangering the Gazan inhabitants – cynically utilizing an lively hospital as a shelter for planning and executing murderous terrorist assaults in a direct violation of worldwide regulation,” the army mentioned in a press release.
Barhoum’s assassination got here simply hours after Hamas mentioned Israeli forces had killed Salah al-Bardawil, one other member of the group’s political bureau, alongside along with his spouse, in a strike on a tent shelter in Khan Younis.
Israel has killed 4 members of Hamas’s political bureau since Tuesday, when its forces resumed main army operations within the enclave following a weeks-long deadlock over the following stage of its ceasefire with Hamas.
Footage from exterior Nasser Hospital confirmed a fireball exploding from the constructing’s higher flooring as an Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Rami Abu Taima was getting ready to do a stay broadcast on the scene.
Reporting from Gaza’s Deir el-Balah, Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary mentioned a minimum of eight different Palestinians have been wounded within the assault, all of whom had been receiving remedy for earlier accidents.
Khoudary mentioned medical doctors on the hospital reported spending hours placing out fires within the division focused within the assault.
“Hospitals throughout the Gaza Strip are overwhelmed. There aren’t any medical provides or drugs because the Israeli forces proceed to shut the border crossing for 21 days now,” Khoudary mentioned.
“The scenario can be escalating in several elements of the Gaza Strip, particularly Beit Layhia within the north and Rafah within the southern elements of the Gaza Strip.”
Feroze Sidhwa, a trauma surgeon volunteering at Nasser Hospital, mentioned the 16-year-old boy killed within the assault was considered one of his sufferers.
“I operated on him. I imagine on March 18, I did an stomach operation. He most likely would have gone house tomorrow, however now he’s lifeless,” Sidhwa advised Al Jazeera.
Sidhwa mentioned the surgical ward for male sufferers had been destroyed and would should be fully rebuilt.
“The entire hospital smells like smoke now,” he mentioned.
“The [ward’s] total electrical system was destroyed. Each door was blown off its hinges. A lot of the home windows have been shattered. The ceiling has collapsed. It’s fully unusable. It’s going to must be torn out and redone.”
Sidhwa criticised Israeli forces for focusing on the hospital.
“Benjamin Netanyahu has been unwell just lately. Nicely, he stands accused of genocide. No person thinks Hamas can bomb a hospital as a result of Benjamin Netanyahu occurs to go there. That’s loopy,” Sidhwa mentioned.
“That’s fully insane. You don’t bomb hospitals. All people is aware of that.”
Israeli forces have killed greater than 600 individuals since resuming their assault on the enclave, together with dozens throughout the final 24 hours, in accordance with Palestinian well being officers.
On Sunday, the official demise toll in Gaza because the begin of the warfare topped 50,000, in accordance with Gaza’s Well being Ministry, a determine that many specialists imagine is probably going an undercount of the true quantity.
