News | International
8 Jun 2025 11:39
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > International

    Israeli strike on European Hospital in southern Gaza kills at least 16 people

    The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) says it was targeting an underground Hamas command and control centre, but Palestinian officials insist no such structure exists.


    British surgeon Tom Potokar was resting after a long day in the operating theatre on May 13 when the missiles landed.

    He had just crawled into bed, in the nurses quarters of the the European Hospital in southern Gaza, and the relative calm was shattered.

    "There was a series of very significant loud explosions, much more than the normal explosions," he told the ABC from a corridor of the hospital in Khan Younis.

    "I got thrown off the bed, it went on for a few moments — I think there were six to nine very, very intense explosions.

    "I came outside immediately to the entrance to the hospital, [and] there were two huge craters, a few people wounded lying there. [It was] mayhem, people screaming, people running around."

    Israel's military had launched a series of missiles at the European Hospital in Khan Younis.

    The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) says it was targeting an underground Hamas command and control centre.

    The attack not only damaged the hospital, but destroyed water and sewage connections.

    The intensive care unit was full at the time of the strike, according to intensive care doctor Milena Chee.

    "Among them are three children, and they are all very, very sick, on ventilators, they have nowhere to go," she said.

    "We did what we could for them.

    "Everybody who could move out is not here anymore — still, intensive care is full of patients, who we are struggling to evacuate because other neighbouring critical care [wards] remain full."

    Dr Chee said the volunteer doctors, who are working with the international charity Ideals, are now waiting to see if they also have to be evacuated.

    Gaza's health system has been crippled during more than 18 months of war, with medical facilities repeatedly targeted in strikes.

    Medical professionals have also being killed or arrested by the IDF.

    Supplies are running desperately low after almost three months of a total humanitarian aid blockade of the strip.

    IDF insists Hamas command centre lies beneath hospital

    Palestinian health authorities say at least 16 people were killed in the attack on the European Hospital, and more than 70 were injured.

    Hamas has rejected the IDF's allegation that a Hamas command and control centre was buried beneath the compound.

    It has accused Israel of continuing to attack hospitals despite their protected status under international law.

    CCTV of the hospital car park shows people milling around in the moments before the first missile hit, sending people flying through the air.

    Israeli officials are confident one of Hamas's top leaders, Mohammed Sinwar, was killed in the strike, although that could take days or weeks to confirm.

    Sinwar succeeded his brother Yahya as Hamas's de facto leader in Gaza, after he was killed by Israeli forces in October last year.

    If he is confirmed as having been killed, it will be a significant blow for Hamas's senior officials.

    It would also undermine Hamas's argument it does not use hospitals as safe havens for its fighters.

    © 2025 ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved

     Other International News
     08 Jun: WorldPride Washington DC strikes a protest note on Donald Trump's doorstep
     08 Jun: ???1;Proof of how much plastic is in the air
     08 Jun: Most schools in Gaza are destroyed or being used as shelters, so kids are studying in tents
     08 Jun: Tonga is one of the world's most devout keepers of the Sabbath — but some say there's more to faith
     08 Jun: 'Drill, baby, drill' in Alaska ticks Trump's boxes but critics urge him to 'think, baby, think'
     08 Jun: Israel says body of Thai hostage Pinta Nattapong has been retrieved from Gaza
     07 Jun: Australia's Liam Adcock wins men's long jump at Rome Diamond League meet
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    Heartbreak for the Hurricanes after being knocked out of the Super Rugby Pacific playoffs by the Brumbies in Canberra More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    The money pouring into Wall Street from kiwis has reached a record high More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Robert De Niro will always "support" his children, even if he disagrees with their choices 11:20

    Politics:
    WorldPride Washington DC strikes a protest note on Donald Trump's doorstep 11:16

    Rugby League:
    Warriors captain James Fisher-Harris is refusing to draw comparisons between his NRL club and his former Penrith Panthers side 11:06

    Entertainment:
    Sophia Bush suffered "every kind" of abuse on the set of a TV show 10:50

    Golf:
    Ryan Fox has recorded his best round of golf's Canadian Open on the PGA Tour to take a share of the lead heading into the final round 10:46

    Health & Safety:
    More Kiwis are being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 10:46

    Living & Travel:
    ???1;Proof of how much plastic is in the air 10:36

    Soccer:
    All Whites defender Michael Boxall has been blown away by the development of one of their rising prospects 10:27

    Entertainment:
    Jonathan Joss' husband feels the actor was the victim of a "hate crime" 10:20

    Environment:
    We've woken up to what's been the coldest night of the year for many across the country 10:16


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2025 New Zealand City Ltd