Palestinians inspect the destruction inside Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, following an Israeli strike early on May 13, 2025, in which Palestinian journalist Hassan Aslih and several other people were killed. (Credit: Eyad Baba/AFP.)
Palestinian Civil Defense announced Tuesday that Israeli strikes near a hospital in the southern Gaza Strip have left at least seven people killed, with the Israeli army confirming it struck the area.
"An initial report indicates seven dead and 30 injured following the bombing by the occupation (Israel, ed.) near and in the courtyard of the European hospital in Khan Younis," Ahmad Radwan, head of communications for Civil Defense in southern Gaza, told AFP. He reported nine Israeli airstrikes.
"It was an absolutely catastrophic scene," photographer Amro Tabash told AFP, describing "barrage of flames" in the area "despite the presence of the World Health Organization on-site preparing injured children for departure from Gaza tomorrow."
"Everyone inside the hospital — patients and the injured alike — was running, panic-stricken, some on crutches, others calling out for their children, while others were dragged along beds," he added.
The Israeli army announced in a statement that it struck "a Hamas command and control center located in an underground terrorist infrastructure, beneath the European hospital in Khan Younis."
"The terrorist organization Hamas continues to use hospitals in the Gaza Strip for its terrorist activities, thereby demonstrating its cynical and brutal use of the civilian population present in the hospital and its surroundings," it added.
Earlier in the day, the army announced another strike on "a command-and-control center located in Nasser hospital," also in Khan Younis.
Gaza's Ministry of Health had earlier reported two deaths and several injuries. According to Civil Defense, one of the victims was journalist Hassan Aslih.
According to his office, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced an intensification of the war in Gaza in the coming days to "complete the operation and defeat Hamas" following a brief pause observed for the release of Israeli-U.S. hostage Edan Alexander.