Israel’s military reported striking a Hamas commander within the compound of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the Gaza Strip city of Deir al-Balah on Thursday, continuing operations amid ongoing violence despite a ceasefire agreement that took effect in October 2025. The military did not confirm whether the commander, who was said to be “hiding within the compound,” was killed. It stated that the individual targeted had been involved in orchestrating attacks against Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) troops and Israeli civilians, and that the strike was carried out in a structure adjacent to the hospital buildings.

Health officials in Gaza said an Israeli airstrike near a warehouse close to the hospital’s maternity ward injured three people. The Israeli military said it had taken measures to minimize civilian harm and had warned medical authorities in Gaza two days earlier to “cease the use of medical facilities for terrorist purposes.”

Earlier Thursday, Al-Aqsa Hospital reported one fatality caused by Israeli gunfire in the eastern part of Deir al-Balah. The Israeli military stated that it was investigating this claim. Meanwhile, in Gaza City, the local civil defence agency—operating under Hamas—reported that an Israeli strike near a roundabout in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood killed two people and wounded several others. When asked about the incident, the Israeli military confirmed a strike on a “military operative” in that area.

These incidents occur in the context of continuing Israeli strikes across Gaza, despite a ceasefire brokered by the United States in October 2025. Israel maintains that ongoing operations are necessary to neutralize threats from Hamas following a massive militant attack on October 7, 2023. According to Gaza’s health ministry, which functions under Hamas authority and whose figures are recognized as credible by the United Nations, at least 1,313 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli operations since the ceasefire took effect. During the same period, Israel has reported five military fatalities and one civilian contractor death.