Gaza conflict intensifies as deadly strikes from Israel hit hospitals

after pause to allow for release of Alexander

On Tuesday, May 13, 2025, Israeli airstrikes targeted hospitals in Gaza, killing at least 18 people, following a brief lull in fighting.

This pause came as 21-year-old Israeli-American Edan Alexander was released by Hamas after being held captive since the group’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

The European Hospital complex near Khan Younis was among the primary targets.

Strikes left massive craters in the ground and visible cracks in the hospital’s courtyard, as reported by the AFP news agency.

Images showed a destroyed bus wedged in a large hole in the road.

Chaos erupted inside the facility as patients and medical staff fled in panic.

Amro Tabash, a local photojournalist, said in an interview with AFP:

“Everyone inside the hospital, patients and wounded alike, was running in fear, some on crutches, others screaming for their children, while others were being dragged on beds.”

Israeli media indicated that the intended target at the European Hospital was Mohammed Sinwar, a senior Hamas leader and the brother of former group leader Yahya Sinwar.

He was reportedly killed during an Israeli operation in October 2024.

According to the Israeli military, a Hamas command center was located beneath the hospital.

However, Hamas has denied using hospitals or other civilian infrastructure for military purposes.

Another Israeli strike hit the Nasser hospital, which the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed was aimed at and successfully “eliminated significant Hamas terrorists.”

Among those killed was Palestinian journalist Hassan Aslih.

The Gaza health ministry confirmed one additional fatality from the same strike.

Israel has previously accused Aslih of participating in the October 7 Hamas-led incursion.

It also claimed he had shared video footage showing acts of “looting, arson and murder” during the attack.

The brief pause in military action that allowed for Alexander’s release quickly gave way to renewed fighting.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel’s military campaign in Gaza would intensify.

In a statement on Tuesday, he declared: “In the very coming days, we are going in with full force to complete the operation.”

A day earlier, Netanyahu had emphasized that Israel would not consider the war over until Hamas was fully dismantled.

“There will be no situation where we stop the war,” he said.

“A temporary ceasefire might happen, but we are going all the way.”

Meanwhile, at a United Nations meeting in New York, UN relief chief Tom Fletcher issued a dire warning to the Security Council.

He called for immediate international action to “prevent genocide” in Gaza.

Addressing ambassadors, he asked, “Will you act – decisively – to prevent genocide and to ensure respect for international humanitarian law?”

Later on Tuesday, Israel’s military instructed civilians in parts of northern Gaza to evacuate following the interception of two projectiles fired from within the territory.

The armed wing of Islamic Jihad, an ally of Hamas, claimed responsibility for the rare rocket fire into Israel.

Regarding Alexander’s release, Netanyahu attributed it to a combination of Israeli military pressure and political efforts led by former U.S. President Donald Trump.

However, Hamas disputed this narrative, asserting that the group had been involved in direct negotiations with Washington about a ceasefire in Gaza.

Netanyahu expressed gratitude to Trump and announced plans to send Israeli negotiators to Qatar to discuss the fate of the remaining hostages.

Trump, on a diplomatic tour of the Gulf, arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and is expected to visit Qatar and the United Arab Emirates as well.

The initial Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, resulted in 1,218 deaths, primarily civilians, based on an AFP count derived from official sources.

Militants also took 251 hostages; of those, 57 remain in Gaza, including 34 declared dead by the Israeli military.

In response, Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has caused significant loss of life.

The Hamas-run health ministry reports that at least 52,908 people have been killed, most of them civilians.

Despite being affiliated with Hamas, the ministry’s data is considered credible by the United Nations.

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