The death toll from an Israeli strike on the courtyard of the Al Aqsa hospital in Gaza’s Deir al-Balah has risen to five, according to Medecins sans Frontiers (MSF), also known as Doctors without Borders. Another 65 people were wounded in the attack, with MSF reporting that it was supporting the hospital housing displaced people.
This marks the seventh time that the Al Aqsa hospital compound has been bombed since March 2024, with three of the attacks occurring in the last month alone, as stated by MSF. The organization quoted MSF nurse Eliza Sabatini, who described the aftermath as 'a scene of devastation.'
According to Sabatini, tents caught on fire while people were sleeping, resulting in the treatment of 40 patients, including 10 children and eight women, many of whom suffered severe burns. Due to capacity constraints, 25 more injured patients had to be referred for further treatment.
The Israel Defense Forces claimed that the strike targeted a Hamas command center embedded at the site and emphasized that efforts were made to minimize harm to civilians, placing blame on Hamas for using civilian infrastructure for military purposes.
Earlier, another strike hit a school in the Nuseirat refugee camp, where at least 22 people were killed, according to officials from Gaza’s Al Awda and Al Aqsa hospitals. The school was serving as a shelter for over 5,000 displaced individuals, as reported by Gaza’s civil defense.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) had to cancel polio vaccination efforts scheduled for the area following the strikes, stated UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.
Efforts to obtain a comment from the Israel Defense Forces regarding the Nuseirat strike are currently underway.
