Gaza hospital strike targeted Hamas commander, Israel says

Israel's military said it struck an unnamed Hamas commander inside the compound of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza on Saturday, while the hospital said four people suffered minor injuries and Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes elsewhere killed four people.

The military said the commander was hiding within the hospital compound in Deir al-Balah and had advanced attacks against Israeli troops and civilians. It said it could not immediately confirm whether he had been killed.

The military said the target was in a structure adjacent to hospital buildings and that steps had been taken to reduce the risk to civilians. It also said it had warned Gazan medical authorities two days earlier against what it called the use of medical facilities for terrorist purposes.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital director Raed Hussein said a small storage facility was hit. He said there were no major casualties, apart from four minor injuries, but that the strike caused extensive material damage. AFP footage from the scene showed damaged water tanks on a roof and debris below.

Doctors Without Borders said it was appalled by reports of an Israeli airstrike within the hospital compound and said hospitals should be safe for patients and health workers.

Gaza's civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue force under Hamas authority, said four people were killed in other strikes across the territory on Saturday. It said Israeli fire east of Deir al-Balah killed one person; the Israeli military said it was checking that report.

The civil defence agency said another Israeli strike near a roundabout in Tel al-Hawa in Gaza City killed two people and injured several others. The Israeli military told AFP it struck a “military operative” in the area.

The agency said a further strike in Khan Yunis killed one person and critically injured another. The Israeli military said it was checking that report.

The bloodshed came despite a US-backed ceasefire that took effect in October 2025. Israel has continued operations in Gaza, saying it is targeting militants and must eliminate threats from Hamas, which led the October 7, 2023 attack against Israel.

Gaza's health ministry, which operates under Hamas authority and whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations, says Israeli operations in Gaza have killed at least 1,313 people since the ceasefire took effect. The Israeli army has reported five deaths in its ranks over the same period, as well as the death of one civilian contractor.