KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — On Monday, residents of Khan Younis awoke to the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike that hit the Nasser Hospital compound the day before, killing at least five people, including a senior Hamas political figure, according to Palestinian medics and Hamas officials.
The Israeli military said it had targeted a high-ranking Hamas operative, describing the operation as “precise” and based on extensive intelligence. It did not name the target, though Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, later confirmed the strike had killed Ismail Barhoum, a member of Hamas’s political bureau.
Video captured by Reuters on Monday morning showed scorched walls and a damaged hospital sign outside the facility’s surgical wing, as residents walked quietly past the site.
The Gaza Health Ministry said the airstrike struck the surgery department, while Israel disputed the casualty figures and said efforts had been made to avoid civilian harm.
The strike came as Israel intensifies its military operations in southern Gaza, particularly in Khan Younis, after weeks of heavy bombardment in the north. Civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, has repeatedly been hit during the nearly six-month conflict, prompting alarm from international aid agencies.
Israel’s campaign in Gaza began after the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on October 7, which killed about 1,200 people, according to Israeli officials. More than 250 people were taken hostage. Since then, health authorities in Gaza say more than 32,000 Palestinians have been killed.
