Israeli strikes separately hit two hospitals in Gaza on Tuesday, with the second strike leaving at least 16 dead and 70 injured at the European Hospital, according to Palestinian authorities. (CBC News)
The southern Gaza city of Khan Younis plunged into horror on Tuesday. Two hospitals—meant to be safe havens—were struck by Israeli airstrikes in the span of hours, leaving devastation, chaos, and grief in their wake.
Missiles Rain Down on European Hospital
Nine missiles hit the European Hospital in Khan Younis, leaving the courtyard scarred with craters. Concrete slabs jutted from the ground. Bloodied survivors stumbled among the ruins, desperate to escape or find their loved ones.
The Gaza Health Ministry reported at least 16 people killed and over 70 wounded in the attack. Patients were rushed out on gurneys. Some limped away with help. Civil defence teams combed through the destruction, searching for survivors.
Rasmiya Al-Saleh, 45, had come to treat her broken leg. Instead, she found herself shivering in the street, wrapped in blankets, clutching what little she owned. “They told me to get out,” she said, tears welling in her eyes. “They didn’t examine me or do any tests.”
No Safe Place Left
Abdul Karim Al-Khamis, 35, was inside the hospital with his father when the blasts began. His father was waiting to be evacuated abroad for medical care. “We heard a huge explosion,” he recalled. “There are people in ICU, people in rooms. Where can we go?”
The European Hospital was the last remaining major facility in the south. For many, it was their final hope. Now it stands crippled.
Mourners react during the funeral of Palestinian journalist Hassan Aslih, who was killed in an Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital at dawn on Tuesday in Khan Younis. He was there recovering from an earlier strike. The IDF had accused him of working with Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel that triggered the war. (Reuters via CBC News)
Second Strike Hits Nasser Medical Complex
Earlier that day, an airstrike hit Nasser Hospital—also in Khan Younis—killing two people. Among them was Hassan Aslih, a prominent Palestinian journalist. He had been recovering from injuries sustained in a previous bombing.
Israel accused Aslih of participating in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. He was allegedly seen in footage documenting looting and violence during the incursion that left 1,200 Israelis dead and 250 kidnapped.
The Israel Defence Forces claimed their strike targeted a Hamas command center hidden beneath the hospital. Hamas has denied using hospitals or civilian areas for military purposes.
Medical Staff and Patients Caught in Crossfire
The Nasser Hospital attack struck the third floor—where dozens of injured patients were being treated. Emergency responders rushed to save lives amid the dust and smoke.
Ahmed Siyyam, a civil emergency official, described the scene as chaotic. Hospital director Atef Al-Hout struggled to hold back emotion. “I didn’t know whether to mourn the martyrs, treat the wounded, or comfort my staff,” he said. “No one feels safe anymore.”
A War Without Boundaries
The Israeli military insists both strikes were “precise” and aimed at Hamas infrastructure. Yet the civilian toll keeps rising. The Gaza Health Ministry says more than 52,000 Palestinians have died since Israel began its offensive.
Hospitals, once sanctuaries, are now battlegrounds. And for the people of Gaza, the question grows louder: where is it safe to heal, to mourn, or simply to survive?
