DEYAL AL BARA, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli airstrikes crashed into the fourth floor of a major hospital in South Gaza on Monday, killing at least eight people, the Gaza Health Ministry said.
The victim on the fourth floor of Nasser Hospital was first killed in a double tap strike where one missile was hit, and then died at another moment when rescuers arrived, the ministry said.
Nasser Hospital, Khan Yunis, the largest in southern Gaza, has endured raids and artillery fires throughout the 22-month war. Authorities cite a significant shortage of supplies and staff.
Israeli troops did not immediately answer questions about the strike.
Israeli strikes and attacks in hospitals are not uncommon. Several hospitals have been struck and attacked throughout the Gaza Strip, and Israel claims the attacks targeted extremists operating within medical facilities without providing evidence.
Three people have been killed and 10 injured in a June strike at Nasser Hospital, according to the Ministry of Health. At the time, Israeli military said it targeted Hamas militants operating from the hospital’s headquarters and control centres.
The Ministry of Health said on Sunday that at least 62,686 Palestinians had been killed in the war. Rather than distinguishing fighter jets from civilians, it says that about half were women and children. The United Nations and independent experts consider it the most reliable source of information on victims of war. Israel disputes the figures, but does not provide its own.
