An Israeli airstrike on a hospital courtyard in the Gaza Strip early Monday resulted in the deaths of at least four people and burning more than two dozen others, according to Palestinian medics. The strike targeted Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, which was already overwhelmed with casualties from a prior attack on a nearby school-turned-shelter that killed at least 20 individuals.
Associated Press footage depicted children among the injured, with a man carrying a toddler with a bandaged head and another child receiving a blood transfusion on the hospital floor. Among the victims was 20-year-old Shaaban al-Dalou, who burned to death while confined to a hospital bed and connected to an IV drip, as shown by footage broadcasted live.
“The impact of the airstrike pushed me out of the tent while the fire caught my children,” Ahmed al-Dalpu, Shaaban’s father said. “So I entered the fire and managed to get out my youngest son and his elder sister. By that time, fire had engulfed everything. I couldn’t rescue anyone else.”
Hospital records indicated four fatalities and 40 injuries, with 25 individuals transferred to Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza due to severe burns. The Israeli military continues to conduct regular airstrikes across Gaza, more than a year into the ongoing war, focusing on the northern region where it claims militants have regrouped.
In a statement, the Israeli military asserted that the airstrike targeted militants hiding among civilians but did not provide evidence for these claims. The military has repeatedly targeted crowded shelters and tent camps in recent months, alleging that Hamas fighters are using them for operational purposes.
Source: The Independent – Al-Jazeera