Israeli airstrike destroys medical warehouse near hospital in central Gaza

Israeli fighter jets struck a medical warehouse near a hospital in the central Gaza Strip early Saturday, destroying the facility and extensively damaging nearby tents sheltering displaced Palestinians, witnesses said.

Witnesses told Anadolu that the Israeli army targeted the warehouse next to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, completely destroying it and the critical medical supplies within and setting fire to dozens of tents erected nearby.

The attack caused fear and panic among patients, displaced people, and residents in the vicinity of the hospital, they added.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

According to the witnesses, the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning for the area only minutes before the strike.

The attack came as Gaza’s health sector continues to face an Israeli blockade and severe shortages of medicines and medical supplies. Tight restrictions on their entry have further undermined hospitals’ ability to meet the needs of patients and the wounded.

US President Donald Trump announced early Friday that an agreement had been reached for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza, with Israeli forces set to withdraw in phases as the process advances.

Despite a ceasefire that took effect last October, Israel has continued daily attacks across Gaza, killing 1,209 Palestinians and injuring 3,943 others, most of them women and children, while causing widespread destruction.

With US support, Israel launched a genocide in Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023, killing more than 73,000 Palestinians and injuring over 174,000, most of them women and children, while destroying about 90% of the enclave’s infrastructure.