GAZA (Palestine Foundation Information Center)At least 24 Palestinians were killed, and dozens more were injured or reported missing after an Israeli airstrike using incendiary munitions targeted the vicinity of the European Gaza Hospital in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza. One of the strikes also hit a residential home in the area.
The Civil Defense in Khan Yunis reported that their teams managed to evacuate more than 20 wounded individuals and recover the bodies of 24 victims. However, while carrying out their work at the site, rescue teams were directly targeted by Israeli fire.
Several members of the emergency crews sustained injuries, forcing teams to withdraw due to the dangerous conditions on the ground. Many of the casualties remain trapped under rubble as emergency coordination is ongoing to resume rescue efforts and recover the dead and wounded.
Earlier, in an initial toll, medical sources had confirmed at least six fatalities and many injuries, along with reports of missing civilians beneath the debris. The attack involved a “fire belt” bombing pattern, which heavily damaged the surroundings of the hospital.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed that the European Gaza Hospital and its surroundings were struck by a series of heavy Israeli airstrikes, causing massive destruction. Several civilians were buried under the rubble in the hospital’s outer courtyard.
Due to the scale of the attack and the hospital’s inability to manage the influx of casualties, a state of emergency was declared in the emergency and reception departments at Nasser Medical Complex.
Journalist Amr Tabash, who was present during the attack, reported that the strike occurred while many children and patients were gathered in and around the hospital. He described the force of the blast as so intense that it threw him and others several meters into the air, as a metal shelter collapsed over them—shielding them from flying shrapnel.
He also noted that medical and administrative staff from the World Health Organization were present, along with dozens of children and their families preparing for medical evacuation abroad.
The death toll in Gaza continues to rise rapidly amid relentless Israeli bombardment. The war on the besieged enclave has now entered its 583rd day, as the international community remains shamefully silent.
Since October 2023, Israel’s military assault has killed 52,908 Palestinians and injured 119,721, many of whom are children and women. Since the resumption of the genocide and the breakdown of the ceasefire on 18 March 2025, at least 2,780 Palestinians have been killed and 7,680 wounded.
