Gaza hospital strike targeted Hamas commander, Israel says

Israel's military said it struck a Hamas commander within the compound of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza on Saturday, while the hospital said three people were injured in a strike inside the medical facility.

The military said the unnamed commander was hiding within the 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 strike hit 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 about what it called the use of medical facilities for terrorist purposes.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said three people were injured in an Israeli strike near a warehouse close to the maternity ward.

Earlier Saturday, Al-Aqsa Hospital reported that one person was killed by Israeli fire in the eastern area of Deir al-Balah. The Israeli military said it was checking the report.

In Gaza City, the civil defence agency, which operates as a rescue force under Hamas authority, said an Israeli strike near a roundabout in the Tel al-Hawa neighbourhood killed two people and injured several others. The Israeli military told AFP it struck a “military operative” in the area.

The bloodshed came despite a US-backed ceasefire that took effect in October 2025. Israel has continued strikes 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.