Israel’s military launched an airstrike early Monday, targeting what it described as a Hamas command center located within a hospital compound in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.
The attack on the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital site resulted in the deaths of at least four people, with 40 others injured, including women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Video footage circulating online showed a person lying on a bed engulfed in flames while bystanders helplessly watched.
Separately, the Israeli military reported striking 200 Hezbollah-linked targets in southern Lebanon within 24 hours.
On Sunday, a Hezbollah drone attack hit a military base in northern Israel, killing four Israeli soldiers and injuring dozens more, according to Israeli officials.
The airstrike in Gaza ignited tents sheltering displaced civilians within the hospital compound, killing at least four people and injuring many others.
The target, according to Israel, was a Hamas command center operating on the hospital grounds.
The majority of those injured were women and children, with the casualty count rising to 70 by midday, according to local civil defense authorities.
Footage from the scene depicted a man burning alive as onlookers cried out in shock.
The attack has renewed concerns about Gaza’s hospitals, which are meant to be protected under international law but have frequently come under fire during the conflict.
This strike highlighted the dangers faced by civilians seeking refuge in these institutions, with no place in Gaza appearing safe.
The Gaza Health Ministry reports over 42,000 people have died and more than 98,000 have been injured since Israel launched its military campaign in response to a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.
That attack left 1,200 Israelis dead and around 250 others taken hostage.
Israel has repeatedly struck hospitals and schools where displaced civilians seek shelter, arguing that Hamas uses these civilian sites for military purposes.
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