DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Early on Monday morning, an Israeli airstrike hit the courtyard of a hospital in the Gaza Strip, resulting in at least four fatalities and igniting a fire that spread through a nearby tent camp filled with individuals displaced by ongoing conflict. Palestinian medical officials reported that over 25 people suffered from severe burns due to the incident.
Israeli authorities asserted that their forces targeted militants who were reportedly concealed among civilian populations. However, they did not provide any evidence to substantiate these claims. In recent weeks, the military has conducted numerous strikes on crowded shelters and camps, alleging that Hamas operatives utilize these sites as launching points for assaults.
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah was already overwhelmed with patients from a previous airstrike on a nearby school that had been converted into a shelter, where more than 20 lives were claimed. The early morning strike not only added to the chaos but also caused flames to engulf a significant number of tents in the camp.
Footage captured during the aftermath revealed injured children among the victims. One anguished man was seen carrying a toddler with a bandaged head, while another young child with a bandaged leg received a blood transfusion on the crowded hospital floor. Hospital records confirmed four fatalities and 40 injuries, with 25 individuals being transferred to Nasser Hospital due to severe burns.
Over a year into the conflict, Israeli forces continue to carry out near-daily airstrikes across Gaza, alongside a substantial ground offensive in the north, where they believe militants have regrouped. The hostilities escalated significantly after Hamas initiated an attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths, predominantly among civilians, along with the abduction of around 250 hostages, a third of whom are thought to be deceased while still held in Gaza.
Israel’s retaliatory operations have led to the deaths of over 42,000 Palestinians, as reported by Gaza’s Health Ministry, which has not differentiated between fighters and civilians, though it claims that women and children account for more than half of those killed. Approximately 90% of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced multiple times throughout the conflict, with vast portions of the area facing complete destruction.
The Israeli government has instructed the remaining population in northern Gaza—approximately 400,000 people—to evacuate southward, having barred food from entering the northern regions since the beginning of the month. Hundreds of thousands from the north initially heeded Israeli evacuation orders and have not been permitted to return home since the outbreak of war.
This situation has heightened concerns among Palestinians that Israel may seek to implement a controversial strategy suggested by former military leaders, which involves evacuating all civilians from northern Gaza and designating anyone remaining there as a combatant. Such a tactic has been criticized by human rights organizations as a violation of international law. It is uncertain whether the Israeli government plans to follow through on this proposal.
With no indication of an imminent resolution to this conflict, Israel is simultaneously engaged in military operations against the Hezbollah militant group in southern Lebanon—an ally of Hamas that has been launching rockets into northern Israel for over a year. Additionally, Israel has warned of potential strikes against Iran in response to a ballistic missile incident, raising concerns over a broader regional war.
Recently, a Hezbollah aerial assault on an Israeli military base in northern Israel resulted in the deaths of four soldiers and left seven others critically injured. This attack has been described as the deadliest strike from Hezbollah since Israel’s ground offensive in Lebanon commenced almost two weeks ago.
Hezbollah characterized the operation near Binyamina as retaliation against recent Israeli airstrikes in Beirut that resulted in 22 casualties. The group claimed to have targeted Israel’s esteemed Golani brigade, launching a barrage of missiles while deploying drone “squadrons” to disrupt Israeli air defense systems during this operation.
Reports from Israel’s national rescue service indicated that the assault injured 61 individuals. The advanced air defense capabilities of Israel typically make it uncommon for large numbers of casualties to occur from airborne attacks like drones or missiles.