Israel destroys Gaza cancer hospital, kills 5 more children

At least five children were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City overnight after Israel destroyed Gaza’s only specialised cancer treatment facility, the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital.

The Health Ministry in Gaza denounced the attack as a “heinous crime”. It warned that the destruction of the already overwhelmed medical infrastructure would have catastrophic consequences for patients needing urgent care.

The UN’s human rights office has condemned Israel’s renewed assault, which has killed over 200 children and more than 110 women this week alone.

The death toll continues to rise following Israel’s collapse of the ceasefire on Tuesday, with over 600 Palestinians killed since fighting resumed last Tuesday. The Government Media Office has placed the total death toll at more than 61,700, counting those still trapped beneath the rubble as presumed dead. 

Israel has intensified its military operations across Gaza, expanding its ground invasion to Rafah in the south, in addition to its incursions in the north and central regions. Hamas condemned the destruction of the hospital as “a barbaric act of genocide”, accusing Israel of committing atrocities with impunity with Washington’s continued support for its war.