The Israeli military struck a hospital in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing at least six people and injuring 28 more, according to local health officials.
Dr. Ahmed al-Farra, general director of Nasser Hospital, said in a news conference on Thursday that two missiles had hit the facility and that among the dead was Rezeq Abu Shaira, 52, a doctor.
Health officials reached in Gaza by phone said that a man called Khaled Abu Anza had also been killed. A spokeswoman for the Israeli military, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with protocol, said that Mr. Abu Anza was a Hamas operative.
The Israeli security agency and military said in a joint statement on Thursday that they had targeted Muhammad Abu Ismail, whom they identified as a Hamas commander “responsible for holding numerous hostages captive” during the Gaza war.
The Israeli authorities said that Hamas had established a command center at the hospital complex to stage operations against Israeli forces and was storing weapons there. They added that steps had been taken to mitigate harm to civilians.
Hamas said the Israeli claim that the hospital was used for military activity was a “blatant attempt to justify a heinous crime targeting a civilian medical facility.” Residents of Gaza have said that officials affiliated with Hamas-run Gaza government and security forces sometimes use the enclave’s hospitals as offices.
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