An Israeli air strike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, has killed at least two people, including senior Hamas official Ismail Barhoum and a 16-year-old boy, according to Hamas and health officials.
Hamas condemned the attack, calling it a violation of international laws and accusing Israel of systematically targeting Palestinian leaders and medical facilities. “We condemn this latest crime, which adds to the occupation’s long record of terrorism, violating sanctities, lives, and medical facilities,” the group said in a statement.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed that Barhoum was the intended target. The Israeli military stated that the strike was carried out with “precise munitions” to minimize harm and followed an “extensive intelligence-gathering process.”
The assassination of Barhoum came hours after another Hamas political bureau member, Salah al-Bardawil, and his wife were killed in an Israeli strike on a tent shelter in Khan Younis.
Since Tuesday, Israel has intensified its military operations in Gaza, targeting and killing four members of Hamas’s political bureau amid a stalled ceasefire negotiation.
