Casualties Reported After Strike Near Gaza Health Center

Incident Overview

An Israeli strike resulted in the deaths of 15 people, including women and children, outside a health center in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza, on Thursday, according to medical staff and officials in the area.

Casualty Details

The Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza reported that eight of those killed were children, with ages ranging from two to fourteen years old. The hospital also stated that three women and four men were among those killed.

Visual Documentation

Footage reviewed by CNN showed several children lying motionless and others appearing injured. Another video depicted children being transported on a cart.

Israeli Military Statement

The Israeli military stated that the strike targeted a Hamas member involved in the group’s October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.

"The Israel Defense Forces is aware of reports regarding a number of injured individuals in the area. The incident is under review. The IDF regrets any harm to uninvolved individuals and operates to minimize harm as much as possible," the Israeli military said in a statement.

Location and Aid Organization Statements

The director general of Gaza’s health ministry said the strike occurred near a medical center that dispenses children’s formula to women.

Project HOPE, an American aid organization, stated that the strike took place directly in front of one of its health clinics, where individuals were waiting for treatment for various health conditions.

The organization’s CEO, Rabih Torbay, told CNN that the clinic’s location had been shared with the Israeli military and described it as a deconflicted site.

"Project HOPE’s health clinics are a place where people bring their children, women access pregnancy and postpartum care, and people receive treatment for malnutrition and other conditions," Torbay said.

Statements from Medical Personnel

Dr. Mohammed Abu Mughaisib, deputy medical coordinator for Palestine at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), stated that health facilities have previously been targeted directly or indirectly. He noted that there has been no significant improvement in access to aid and medicine, despite a partial lifting of the blockade on Gaza.

"Every day there are hundreds of people killed and injured when they go to aid distribution points to collect food kits or parcels," he said. He also mentioned that food is scarce in markets and bakeries are closed.

Mughaisib described the population in Gaza as facing significant challenges.

Additional Context

Israel has increased airstrikes and expanded ground operations in parts of Gaza. Negotiations in Doha are ongoing to facilitate the release of hostages, establish a temporary truce, and increase humanitarian aid to the region.

According to Gaza’s health ministry, nearly 3,000 Palestinians were killed in the past month.

Hamas has continued to carry out attacks against the Israeli military, resulting in the deaths of more than 20 soldiers in various parts of Gaza during the same period, including five soldiers killed in Beit Hanoun.

On Thursday, a 20-year-old Israeli man was killed in an attack at the Gush Etzion junction south of Jerusalem, according to Israeli military and medical services.

The Israel Defense Forces reported that two Palestinian individuals conducted a combined shooting and stabbing attack before being killed. Gush Etzion is a settlement area in the West Bank.

A security source told CNN that the two attackers were Palestinian Authority policemen with no prior records or arrests in Israel. CNN has contacted the Palestinian Authority for comment.