From the Liveblog of
Sunday, March 23, 2025
Israel confirms airstrike on Gaza hospital, says it targeted ‘key Hamas terrorist’
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
The Israeli military confirms hitting Gaza’s Nasser Hospital in an airstrike, saying it targeted a “key Hamas terrorist” using a precision bomb.
The IDF does not name the person it targeted in the hospital in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, but unverified reports from Gaza and the Saudi al-Hadath channel claim it was Ismail Barhoum, a senior member of Hamas’s politburo.
In a joint statement with the Shin Bet, the IDF says the strike was carried out following “an extensive intelligence-gathering process.” It says a “precision munition” was used in order to mitigate harm to civilians.
Palestinian media report an Israeli airstrike targeting the second floor of the Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza's Khan Younis.
There is no immediate comment from the IDF. pic.twitter.com/XiIOFPIq3q
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) March 23, 2025
Israel has long accused Hamas of using Gaza’s hospitals to hide personnel, weapons and command centers, but in the past, the IDF has carried out raids on such facilities with ground troops.
“The Hamas terrorist organization exploits civilian infrastructure while brutally endangering the Gazan population. The cynical use of an active hospital as a shelter for the planning and executing of murderous terrorist attacks is in direct violation of international law,” the statement reads.
The Times of Israel Community.