![A view of the completely destroyed courtyard of the European Hospital after Israeli army attack in Khan Yunis, Gaza on May 13, 2025. [Ali Jadallah - Anadolu Agency]](https://i0.wp.com/www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/AA-20250513-37940404-37940367-ISRAELI_ARMY_ATTACK_ON_THE_EUROPEAN_HOSPITAL_IN_KHAN_YUNIS-1.jpg?fit=920%2C613&ssl=1)
Israeli occupation forces yesterday killed 28 Palestinians in a strike that targeted the Gaza European Hospital east of Khan Yunis under the pretext of targeting Hamas leader Mohammed Sinwar, Israeli media reported.
The Health Ministry and Civil Defence in Gaza said in separate statements that the Israeli bombing killed 34 Palestinians – six inside the European Hospital and 28 in an adjacent house belonging to the Al-Afghani family – as a result of fire belts that targeted the hospital and its surroundings.
The Israeli occupation army acknowledged striking the hospital, claiming it targeted members of the Palestinian resistance group Hamas including Muhammed Sinwar.
In a joint statement, the Israeli military and the Shin Bet claimed the strike targeted a Hamas “command and control compound,” built in an underground infrastructure beneath the European Gaza Hospital in Khan Yunis.
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Israeli Army Radio reported that the attack was part of what it described as a “rare opportunity” to assassinate Sinwar, the brother of former Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar. According to reports, the results of the operation are still unknown.
Israeli security sources said assessments indicate that Sinwar was inside the compound when the attack was carried out, and that the raid had “caused significant damage to the site’s infrastructure,” and that “if Sinwar was indeed present there, it is unlikely he survived.”.
The same sources indicated that Israeli intelligence agencies had made “great efforts to ensure that no Israeli prisoners were present at the site before the attack,” but acknowledged that there was no “100% guarantee” in this regard.
Sinwar is considered one of the most prominent Hamas leaders. Israel says that he assumed leadership of the movement’s military wing in recent months after the targeting of Muhammad Deif. He has also been credited with leadership roles in previous prominent operations, including the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
Sinwar is described in the Israeli media as one of the most vocal opponents of a prisoner exchange deal, according to Israeli allegations. To date, Hamas has not issued any official comment regarding the bombing or the Israeli allegations regarding Muhammad Sinwar.
The death toll from Israeli strikes on Gaza yesterday has reached at least 48 Palestinians, according to medics there.
More than 52,900 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023, most of them women and children.
READ: Netanyahu: Israel is destroying Gaza so Palestinians are forced to leave