New Delhi: At least 28 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes on two hospitals in Gaza, ending a brief pause in bombardment following the release of an Israeli-American hostage on Tuesday. Twenty-one-year-old Edan Alexander was in Hamas captivity since its October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. His release on Monday slowed down, albeit only briefly, the Israeli onslaught in the narrow strip, which has been under attack for over a year and a half.
After Mr Alexander’s release, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it clear that the military campaign was far from over. “In the very coming days, we are going in with full force to complete the operation,” he said on Tuesday.
Israel dropped six bombs at the hospitals, the BBC reported.
The strikes hit the European Hospital complex near Khan Younis and the emergency ward of Nasser Hospital. The blasts left large craters and cracks in the hospital courtyard. A bus was seen lodged in a hole created by the impact.
“Everyone inside the hospital, patients and wounded alike, was running in fear, some on crutches, others screaming for their children, while others were being dragged on beds,” Amro Tabash, a local photojournalist, told AFP.
Eyewitnesses said Israeli drones circled low over the area, preventing rescue teams from reaching the site. A quadcopter drone reportedly injured two civil defence officers attempting to get closer to the European Hospital.
Dr Tom Potokar, a plastic surgeon, was inside a hospital during the strike. He told the BBC there were “six enormous explosions one after the other” with “no warning whatsoever.” “There was complete panic,” he said.
Israeli media reported that the strike aimed to eliminate Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar, the brother of Yahya Sinwar, who was killed in an Israeli operation in October 2024. The Israeli military claimed it targeted a “Hamas command centre” beneath the hospital. Hamas denies using hospitals and other civilian sites for military purposes.
Netanyahu credited Edan Alexander’s release to “our military pressure and the political pressure exerted by President Trump.” Hamas rejected this, saying that it had engaged in direct talks with the US on a Gaza ceasefire.
The October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas killed 1,200 people, while 251 people were taken hostage. Since then, Israel has killed over 52,000 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry. The ongoing offensive has displaced thousands, targeted civilians, predominantly women and children, and blocked humanitarian aid, like food, medicine, and clothes to the region.
