Israel hits Gaza hospital as strikes resume following hostage release

Israel struck a hospital in Gaza early Tuesday, a day after briefly pausing military activity for the release of Israeli-American Edan Alexander by Hamas. The target of the strike appeared to be Hassan Eslaiah, a prominent Gaza photojournalist.

Israel struck a hospital in Gaza early Tuesday, a day after briefly pausing military activity for the release of Israeli-American Edan Alexander by Hamas. The Israeli military resumed strikes in Gaza about an hour after Alexander left the territory, hitting the Al Daraj neighborhood in northern Gaza on Monday evening, before striking the Nasser medical complex in southern Gaza on Tuesday, according to hospital officials. The IDF strike targeted the surgical ward on the hospital’s third floor, which is now “completely out of service,” killing two patients and wounding medical staff, Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) said. The target of the strike appeared to be Hassan Eslaiah, a prominent Gaza photojournalist. He was being treated at the hospital after being wounded in an earlier targeted Israeli airstrike in April. The IDF claimed at the time of the April strike that Eslaiah had taken part in the attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023 and belonged to Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade, although it did not provide evidence to support the claim. It asserted that he worked “under the guise of a journalist and owns a press company.” On Tuesday, the Israeli military said it “precisely struck significant Hamas terrorists” at Nasser hospital, but did not name Eslaiah. Eslaiah crossed into Israel on October 7, 2023, documenting the attacks in photographs that were published by multiple major news organizations. He had previously said he had no forewarning of the attacks and rushed to the scene to document a major news event alongside other photojournalists.