(Adnkronos) – Israeli attacks have caused 11 deaths today in the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian rescuers. Six people died in the bombing of Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, in the south of the territory. This is the bloodiest day since October 27, the day of the elections in Israel. The Israeli army confirmed that it carried out the raid against the hospital, stating that it targeted “a senior Hamas official and other members of the armed wing of the Islamist movement,” accused of using the hospital complex as a “command center.”
The attack comes as former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, a rival of current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is engaged in negotiations to form a governing coalition. Meanwhile, Netanyahu, who has placed Israel’s security at the center of his political program, remains at the head of the government and retains responsibility for military operations, particularly in the Gaza Strip. The Civil Defense, a first aid organization operating under Hamas authority, reported six deaths following the bombing “inside the Nasser medical complex.” The hospital confirmed this toll. The Israeli army claims to have targeted Mohamed Abou Ismail, identified as the commander of the Hamas brigade in Khan Younis, tasked, according to Israel, with “supervising terrorist activities” and responsible for operations against Israeli soldiers, as well as the detention of hostages during the war. The army assures that it issued preventive warnings and conducted a “targeted” attack to limit civilian casualties.
Civil Defense also reported five other victims in the Palestinian territory, bringing the total number of people killed today to 11. Two people were killed in the central part of the Strip: one by “Israeli gunfire” near the al-Bureij refugee camp and the other in an attack conducted by an “Israeli drone” against a vehicle near Deir el-Balah. Three other people, including a woman, died in two attacks: one carried out by a drone and the other against “a vehicle near the entrance of al-Shifa hospital” in Gaza City, in the north of the Strip. Questioned by AFP, the Israeli army stated that it had “struck a terrorist” in Deir el-Balah and another in Gaza City, denying however having conducted the second attack near al-Shifa hospital. Finally, a nine-month-old infant was found dead from hypothermia in the tent where his family had sought refuge in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip.
