Israel bombards Gaza seeking to kill top Hamas leader, officials say

TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli fighter jets bombed the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis on Tuesday evening in an attempt to kill Muhammad Sinwar, one of Hamas’ remaining top leaders in the enclave, according to three Israeli officials.

All three officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Around the same time, the Israeli military said its forces had struck a Hamas command center underneath the European Hospital near Khan Younis. An Israeli military spokesperson declined to say whether Sinwar had been targeted in that strike. The health ministry in Gaza said that at least six people had been killed in the strike on the hospital, with at least 40 others wounded.

Pillars of smoke billowed around the hospital after the bombardment, according to videos from the scene that were verified by The New York Times. It was unclear whether hospital buildings had been damaged in the strike.

Saleh al-Hams, a doctor at the European Hospital, said the bombing had shaken the compound, terrifying the doctors and patients within. “All of our appeals to the world were for nothing,” he said in a phone call.

Israeli officials have accused Hamas of operating from inside Gaza’s hospitals — claims corroborated by some Palestinians in Gaza, as well as some former Israeli hostages who have said they were held there. Hamas, as well as hospital officials, has denied the allegations.

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