The IDF and Shin Bet intelligence agency said Tuesday that they carried out a precision strike on Hamas operatives inside an underground command center beneath the European Hospital in Khan Younis, located in the southern Gaza Strip.
In a joint statement, authorities said the operation targeted a Hamas command-and-control hub embedded in what they described as “terrorist infrastructure” under the hospital.
The scene of the strike at the European Hospital in Khan Younis
Israeli officials said that the operation aimed to eliminate Mohammed Sinwar, head of Hamas’ military wing and brother of the group’s former leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, who was eliminated by Israeli forces last October. His fate remains unclear.
Footage of the strike was released following the operation, which Israeli officials described as a major action in their ongoing campaign against Hamas.
The military accused Hamas of continuing to exploit medical facilities in the Gaza Strip for terrorist purposes, calling it “a cynical and brutal use of the civilian population in the hospital and its surroundings.”
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The IDF said multiple measures were taken before and during the strike to minimize harm to civilians and damage to civilian infrastructure. These included the use of precision-guided munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence-gathering efforts.
“The IDF and Shin Bet will continue to operate to remove any threat to the citizens of the State of Israel,” the statement said.