GAZA CITY, GAZA STRIP – The Israeli military announced that it carried out a targeted strike on a Hamas command and control center situated within the Al Ahli Hospital in northern Gaza on Sunday. The center was allegedly being used to plan and coordinate attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers.

According to medics, the Israeli missiles struck a building inside the Gaza hospital, causing severe damage to the emergency and reception department as well as other structures. Health officials at the Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital evacuated patients from the building after receiving a warning call from an individual claiming to be affiliated with Israeli security.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that measures were taken to minimize civilian casualties during the strike, including providing advance warnings, using precision munitions, and conducting aerial surveillance. The IDF highlighted Hamas’ violation of international law by operating within civilian infrastructure and using the population as human shields.

In response to the attack, Hamas, through its government media office, condemned the strike as a “heinous and filthy crime,” accusing Israel of deliberately targeting hospitals as part of a larger plan to dismantle the healthcare sector in Gaza. This incident follows a previous attack on the same hospital in 2023, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of individuals, with conflicting accounts of responsibility between Palestinian officials and Israeli authorities.

Images circulating on social media showed displaced families leaving the hospital, some even seen dragging their sick relatives on hospital beds. The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas continues to escalate, with both sides firmly entrenched in their positions. Military operations against Hamas are expected to persist as Israel seeks to protect its citizens from further attacks.