An Israeli air strike on a hospital in Gaza has killed a senior Hamas official and his aide, a Hamas source told the BBC on Sunday evening.
Ismail Barhoum, head of the group’s financial affairs, was confirmed dead following the strike on Nasser Hospital, the primary medical facility in Khan Younis.
According to the official, Barhoum had been receiving treatment at the hospital after sustaining injuries in an earlier air strike four days ago.
The Israeli military said it targeted a key Hamas figure operating within the hospital compound, stating the strike followed “an extensive intelligence-gathering process” and that “precise munitions” were used to minimise collateral damage.
The Hamas-run health ministry reported that “many others,” including medical personnel, were injured in the incident. The affected hospital department was later evacuated after significant structural damage, the ministry added.
Footage verified by the BBC showed individuals attempting to put out a fire that erupted after the strike.
Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of concealing weapons and command infrastructure in civilian facilities such as hospitals, an allegation the group continues to deny.
In a separate incident on the same day, another senior Hamas figure, Salah al-Bardaweel, was killed in an Israeli air strike in Khan Younis, according to a Hamas official.
The Hamas-run health ministry reported that at least 30 people were killed in Khan Younis and Rafah as of Sunday morning, prior to the hospital attack in the evening.
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Israel resumed its military operations in Gaza on 18 March, ending a truce that had lasted nearly two months. Hundreds of casualties have been recorded since the offensive resumed.
Israel blamed Hamas for rejecting a fresh US-brokered truce proposal, while Hamas accused Israel of walking away from a previously agreed deal in January.
The conflict was reignited by Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, which killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and resulted in 251 hostages being taken. In response, Israel launched a full-scale military campaign in Gaza aimed at dismantling Hamas. According to the Hamas-run health ministry, the Israeli offensive has so far killed more than 50,000 people.
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