KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza — At least 28 people were killed and dozens more injured in an Israeli air strike that struck the European Hospital in Khan Younis, according to officials from the Hamas-run civil defence agency in Gaza.
The air strike, which local sources said involved six bombs dropped simultaneously, left deep craters across the hospital’s inner courtyard and surrounding area. Eyewitnesses described a scene of devastation, with vehicles buried under rubble, including a partially destroyed large passenger bus.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that the attack was a “precise strike” targeting Hamas operatives operating a command and control center beneath the hospital, reiterating long standing Israeli claims that militant groups use medical facilities for military purposes—allegations Hamas denies.
A freelance journalist working for the BBC was among those injured in the strike and is currently in stable condition after receiving medical treatment, the broadcaster confirmed.
British surgeon Dr. Tom Potokar, who was present inside the European Hospital on a humanitarian mission with the IDEALS medical charity, told BBC’s Newshour that there was “no warning whatsoever” before the hospital was struck.
“There were six enormous explosions one after the other,” he said. “There was complete panic. People were screaming. The entire facility was shaken.”
Efforts by civil defence teams to reach the site were hindered by the continued presence of Israeli drones in the area. Witnesses said a quadcopter drone wounded two civil defence personnel attempting to approach the compound.
The casualties were transferred to Nasser Hospital, also in Khan Younis, but that facility was itself damaged earlier on Tuesday in a separate Israeli strike.
Among those killed at Nasser Hospital was Hassan Aslih, a prominent Palestinian photojournalist who had already been recovering there from wounds sustained during an earlier air strike in April. Witnesses described the latest attack as a targeted drone strike on the hospital’s surgical wing.
A doctor at the facility confirmed Aslih had been hospitalized for nearly a month. His colleague Helmi al-Faqawi was killed in the April strike, and several other journalists were wounded.
According to Israeli media, the intended target of the hospital air strike was Mohammed Sinwar, the younger brother of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Mohammed Sinwar is believed to have assumed command of Hamas’s military operations following the death of Mohammed Deif in a prior Israeli strike last summer.
Hamas has not issued a statement regarding the reports about Sinwar.
The IDF and Israel Securities Authority (ISA) issued a joint statement claiming that Hamas “continues to use hospitals for terrorist activity,” reinforcing their justification for the European Hospital strike.
Later on Tuesday, the Israeli military said it intercepted two projectiles launched from Gaza. The armed wing of Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility, confirming it had fired rockets toward Israeli territory.
The air strikes on Gaza’s medical infrastructure come amid intensifying conflict in the region, with civilian casualties mounting and healthcare facilities increasingly overwhelmed or destroyed.
