Israeli strike on Gaza hospital targets Hamas leader Mohammad Sinwar: Report

Israel’s hospital strike in southern Gaza targeted Hamas leader Mohammad Sinwar, the group’s de facto head after his brother Yahya Sinwar was killed last year.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) carried out the strike on the European hospital in Khan Younis, targeting “Hamas terrorists in a command and control center” located underground in the infrastructure and aimed at getting hold of Sinwar, sources told CNN.

The hospital’s head of nursing, Dr Saleh Al Hams, said that multiple Israeli strikes hit the building’s yard, with many people now buried under the rubble.

Meanwhile, Hamas has rejected Israeli claims about Sinwar, saying, “The Palestinian resistance alone, through its official platforms, is the authority authorised to confirm or deny what is published.”

Israeli officials view Mohammed Sinwar as equally hardline as his brother Yahya, but with significantly greater military experience. The IDF states that he led the Khan Younis Brigade until 2016. Similar to Yahya, he is believed to have been a key architect of the October 7 terror attack on Israel.

28 killed near hospital

Gaza rescuers said Israeli strikes close to a hospital in the  Palestinian territory killed at least 28 people on Tuesday.

AFPTV footage showed large craters gouged into the ground and cracks in the courtyard outside the hospital. A damaged bus was lodged in one hole.

“Everyone inside the hospital – patients and wounded alike – was running in fear, some on crutches, others screaming for their children, while others were being dragged on beds,” Amro Tabash, a local photojournalist, told AFP.

Earlier, the military said it had struck Hamas terrorists inside “a command and control centre” at Nasser Hospital, also in Khan Yunis.

Late Tuesday, the Israeli military urged civilians in several parts of northern Gaza to evacuate after it intercepted “two projectiles” fired from the territory.

With inputs from AFP