Israeli Airstrikes Hit Gaza Hospitals as Conflict Resumes After Hostage Release

 Gaza/Tuesday — At least 18 people were killed on Tuesday in Israeli airstrikes targeting two major hospitals in Gaza, according to health officials, reigniting global concerns just hours after the release of 21-year-old Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, who had been held by Hamas since the group’s October 7, 2023, incursion into southern Israel.

One of the strikes struck the vicinity of the European Hospital complex near Khan Younis, leaving deep craters in its courtyard and damaging surrounding infrastructure, including a bus reportedly embedded in the road. Eyewitness accounts described scenes of panic as patients and medical staff fled for safety.

“Everyone inside the hospital — patients and wounded alike — was running in fear, some on crutches, others screaming for their children,” local photojournalist Amro Tabash told AFP.

Israeli media cited military sources claiming the strike targeted a Hamas command center believed to be operating beneath the European Hospital. The intended target, officials said, was Mohammed Sinwar, brother of Yahya Sinwar, the former Hamas leader who was killed in an Israeli raid in October 2024. The Israeli military has reiterated accusations that Hamas routinely operates from within civilian infrastructure — a claim Hamas continues to deny.

A second airstrike hit Gaza’s Nasser Hospital, where the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported the elimination of “significant Hamas terrorists,” including Palestinian journalist Hassan Aslih. The Israeli government has accused Aslih of participating in the October 7 attacks and sharing footage that documented acts of violence during the raid.

While the release of Edan Alexander temporarily eased tensions, the resumption of military operations underscores the deepening complexity of the ongoing conflict. “We are going in with full force to complete the operation,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement Tuesday. He reaffirmed that the war would continue until Hamas is dismantled: “There will be no situation where we stop the war. A temporary ceasefire might happen, but we are going all the way.”

At the United Nations, emergency appeals escalated. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher called on the Security Council to act “decisively” to prevent what he termed “genocide” in Gaza, urging immediate measures to uphold international humanitarian law.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military issued fresh evacuation warnings for civilians in parts of northern Gaza after intercepting two projectiles fired from the territory. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a Hamas-aligned faction, claimed responsibility for the rare rocket fire.

Netanyahu credited the release of Edan Alexander to “military pressure combined with political leverage” from U.S. President Donald Trump. Hamas, however, claimed that negotiations were conducted directly with Washington. Netanyahu confirmed that Israeli envoys would travel to Qatar this week to pursue talks on the remaining hostages.

President Trump arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for a Gulf tour that will include stops in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

According to an AFP tally based on official Israeli data, Hamas’s October 7 assault resulted in 1,218 deaths, mostly civilians, and the abduction of 251 individuals. As of now, 57 remain in Gaza, including 34 who are presumed dead.

Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza has resulted in at least 52,908 deaths, the majority of them civilians, according to figures released by Gaza’s health ministry, whose reporting is generally deemed credible by the United Nations.