Israel Deploys Bunker Buster to Strike Hamas Commander in Gaza Hospital
Israel targeted top Hamas commander Mohammed Sinwar in an airstrike on a hospital in southern Gaza on Tuesday, according to Israeli officials and security sources cited by CNN and The Times of Israel.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed it conducted an airstrike on the European Hospital in Khan Younis, claiming that Hamas was operating an underground command center there. The IDF did not reveal the specific target of the strike.
“Hamas continues to use hospitals in Gaza for terrorist activity, demonstrating its cynical and brutal use of the civilian population in the hospital and its surroundings,” the IDF’s statement read. “The IDF and ISA (Israel Security Agency) will continue to operate to remove any threat to the civilians of the State of Israel.”
The IDF released a video exposing the underground terror infrastructure Hamas constructed beneath the hospital. Additional footage posted online showed large plumes of smoke rising around the hospital as Israeli Air Force fighter jets dropped multiple heavy bombs.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 16 Palestinians were killed and more than 70 were injured in the strike. As of press time, It is unclear if Sinwar was among the fatalities but security sources said if he was in the tunnel, he likely did not survive.
In a statement, Hamas dismissed Israeli claims regarding Sinwar. “The Palestinian resistance alone, through its official platforms, is the authority authorized to confirm or deny what is published.”
Sinwar assumed de facto leadership of Hamas in Gaza after Israel killed his brother, Yahya Sinwar, in October. Israeli officials stated that he played a key role in planning the October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel and was also accused of involvement in other terrorist activities against the country.
The airstrike came one day after Hamas released Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander. Talks between Hamas and the U.S. are scheduled to begin in Qatar.
Shortly after the strike, three rockets were fired from Gaza into southern Israel. Two were intercepted, while one landed in an open area. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack.
