Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital in Gaza kills senior Hamas official

Hamas called the strike a violation of international law and accused Israel of using hospitals as targets

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A deadly Israeli airstrike on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis has left at least two people dead, including senior Hamas official Ismail Barhoum and a 16-year-old boy, according to health officials and Hamas representatives.

The airstrike took place on Sunday evening, with Barhoum, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, confirmed as the target of the attack.

The 75-year-old was receiving treatment at the hospital when the strike occurred.

Hamas condemned the strike, calling it a violation of international law and accusing Israel of using hospitals as targets.

"We condemn this latest crime, which adds to the occupation’s long record of terrorism," a Hamas spokesperson said in a statement.

The Israeli military, however, confirmed that Barhoum was the target of the airstrike.

According to Israel's Defence Minister, the attack was part of an extensive intelligence-gathering process. The Israeli military defended the strike, claiming that Hamas had used civilian infrastructure, including the hospital, to plan and execute attacks.

The bombing left a trail of destruction in the hospital. Local doctors reported spending hours extinguishing fires caused by the blast. Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, a trauma surgeon at the hospital, confirmed that the 16-year-old boy killed was a patient he had operated on just days before the attack.

Sidhwa condemned the targeting of the hospital, describing the destruction as “completely insane.”

This airstrike is the latest in a series of Israeli attacks on Hamas leaders in Gaza, which have escalated following the resumption of military operations in the region. Since the latest wave of operations, Israel has killed multiple Hamas political bureau members.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, the total death toll in the region since the war began has surpassed 50,000, a figure many experts believe is an undercount.

More than 600 individuals have been killed since Israel broke the ceasefire agreement including dozens in the last 24 hours, and the situation continues to deteriorate.