Israeli strike at Gaza hospital kills Hamas official and aide
An Israeli air strike on a hospital in Gaza killed a senior Hamas leader and an aide on Sunday evening, a Hamas official told the BBC.
Ismail Barhoum, the head of the group's financial affairs, was killed in the strike on Nasser Hospital, the main medical facility in Khan Younis.
He was receiving treatment at the hospital after being wounded in an air strike four days ago, the official said.
Israel's military said it had struck a key Hamas member operating inside the hospital compound following "an extensive intelligence-gathering process" and said that "precise munitions" had been used to mitigate harm.
The Hamas-run health ministry said "many others", including medical personnel, were injured.
The hospital department hit was evacuated after a large portion was destroyed, the ministry said.
Footage verified by the BBC showed people attempting to extinguish a fire after the strike.
Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of using hospitals as hiding places for weapons and command centres, which the group denies.
Another Hamas leader, Salah al-Bardaweel, was killed by a separate Israeli air strike in Khan Younis on Sunday, an official told the BBC.
At least 30 people were killed in Khan Younis and Rafah as of Sunday morning, before the strike on the hospital in the evening, the health ministry said.
Israel resumed its military campaign in Gaza on 18 March, ending a ceasefire that lasted almost two months. Hundreds of people have been killed in strikes since then.
Israel blamed Hamas for rejecting a new US proposal to extend the truce. Hamas, in turn, accused Israel of abandoning the original deal agreed in January.
The war was triggered by Hamas's attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people, mainly civilians, were killed and 251 others taken hostage.
Israel responded to the 7 October attack with a military offensive in Gaza to destroy Hamas, which has killed more than 50,000 people, the Hamas-run health ministry said.
More than 50,000 killed in Gaza since Israel offensive began, Hamas-run ministry says
Trapped by gunfire at Gaza hospital, people risked death to help injured
Why has Israel bombed Gaza and what next for ceasefire deal?
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Los Angeles Times
18 hours ago
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Hamilton Spectator
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At least 8 dead in shooting near Israeli and US-supported aid sites in Gaza
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — At least eight Palestinians were killed and dozens more wounded on Sunday in a shooting near Israeli- and U.S.-supported food distribution points in the Gaza Strip, according to health officials. Witnesses blamed the Israeli military, which did not immediately comment. Witnesses said Israeli forces opened fire around dawn toward crowds of desperate Palestinians heading to two aid sites in the southern city of Rafah. Experts and aid workers say Israel's monthslong blockade and military campaign have caused widespread hunger and raised the risk of famine in the population of over 2 million. The vast majority rely on international aid because the offensive has destroyed nearly all of Gaza's capacity to produce food. The war in Gaza rages more than 20 months after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack, which sparked a chain of events that helped lead to Israel's surprise attack on Iran on Friday. The shooting on Sunday happened close to the sites that are operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation , a group that Israel and the United States hope will replace a system of aid distribution run by the United Nations, which has rejected the initiative, saying it violates humanitarian principles. A man described the distribution as 'a trap' There have been near-daily shootings near the sites since they opened last month. Witnesses say Israeli forces have repeatedly fired on crowds, and health officials say scores have been killed. The military has acknowledged firing warning shots at what it says were suspects approaching its forces. 'There were wounded, dead, and martyrs,' Ahmed al-Masri told The Associated Press on Sunday as he returned from one site empty-handed. 'It's a trap.' Umm Hosni al-Najjar said she joined the crowd heading to the aid point in Rafah's Tal al-Sultan neighborhood around 4:30 a.m. She said the shooting began as people were advancing to the site a few minutes after her arrival. 'There were many wounded and martyrs,' she said. 'No one was able to evacuate them.' The Nasser Hospital in the nearby city of Khan Younis said it received eight bodies after the shooting. Gaza's Health Ministry said Sunday that overall, the bodies of 65 people killed by Israeli strikes or gunfire had been brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours. The aid system rolled out last month has been marred by chaos and violence, while the U.N. system has struggled to deliver food because of Israeli restrictions and a breakdown of law and order, despite Israel loosening a total blockade it imposed from early March to mid-May. UN has criticized the new aid system Israel and the U.S. say Hamas has siphoned aid from the U.N.-run system, while U.N. officials say there is no evidence of systematic diversion. The U.N. says the new system does not meet Gaza's needs, allows Israel to control who gets aid and risks further mass displacement as people move closer to the sites. Two are in the southernmost city of Rafah — now mostly uninhabited — and all three are in Israeli military zones that are off limits to independent media. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says there has been no violence in or around the distribution points. It has warned people to stay on designated routes and recently paused delivery to discuss safety measures with the military. Separately, Israel's military body in charge of aid coordination in Gaza, COGAT, said 292 trucks of aid from the U.N. and international community entered Gaza over the past week. About 600 trucks entered per day during the latest ceasefire. Hamas started the war with its Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel as Palestinian militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took another 251 hostage. The militants still hold 53 hostages , fewer than half of them alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel's military campaign has killed over 55,300 Palestinians , according to Gaza's Health Ministry. It says women and children make up most of the dead but doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants. Israel says it has killed more than 20,000 militants, without providing evidence. The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population, often multiple times . ___ Magdy reported from Cairo. ___ Follow AP's war coverage at Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
