An Israeli airstrike targeted the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza's central city of Deir al-Balah early Monday, killing at least four people and injuring dozens, according to Palestinian medics. The strike also engulfed a nearby tent camp housing displaced civilians, leaving over two dozen people with severe burns. The Israeli military said the strike aimed at militants hiding among civilians, though it did not provide evidence. This is part of an ongoing pattern of strikes on shelters and crowded areas, which Israel claims are used by Hamas as staging grounds for attacks.
The hospital was already overwhelmed with patients from an earlier strike on a school-turned-shelter, which killed at least 20 people. Footage from the scene showed children among the wounded, with some receiving treatment on the hospital floor due to overcrowding. Hospital records confirmed four deaths and 40 injuries from the airstrike. Twenty-five people suffering severe burns were transferred to Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza.
Israel continues its near-daily airstrikes across Gaza and is conducting a major ground assault in the northern part of the territory, where militants are reportedly regrouping. Since the war began over a year ago, more than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, with women and children making up more than half of the fatalities. The war was sparked by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which left 1,200 people dead and saw around 250 hostages taken, of whom about 100 remain in captivity, with a third presumed dead.
Israel has ordered the full evacuation of northern Gaza’s remaining population, approximately 400,000 people, but concerns are mounting that Israel might permanently displace these civilians as part of a military strategy. Human rights groups warn that such tactics could violate international law.
Meanwhile, Israel is also engaged in an air and ground campaign against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, after the Iran-backed group escalated attacks on northern Israel. Over the weekend, a Hezbollah drone attack killed four Israeli soldiers and wounded seven others in what has become the deadliest Hezbollah strike since Israel began its ground invasion of Lebanon.