IDF Strikes Hamas Commander at Gaza Hospital, Cites Hostage Detention

Israeli authorities stated that Hamas had transformed the hospital into an operational headquarters, utilizing it to store weapons, run command rooms, and conduct interrogations and torture. The military asserted that the second floor was heavily guarded and restricted to civilians. The IDF and Shin Bet stated that precision munitions and aerial surveillance were used to minimize civilian casualties, and that repeated warnings had been issued to Hamas to cease military activity at the site.

Palestinian sources and the Hamas-run Health Ministry reported that the strike killed six people and injured at least 20 others. The reported fatalities included hospital staff, a doctor, patients, and a 13-year-old child. Palestinian reports identified Khaled Abu Anza, a senior Hamas security official, and Murad Abu Zarifa, a Hamas operative involved in the October 7 abduction of Adina Moshe, among the dead. Hamas condemned the strike, while the Board of Peace deplored the civilian deaths and condemned Hamas's use of medical facilities for military purposes.