Israeli strikes across Gaza killed at least four Palestinians on Saturday, with separate attacks destroying medicine warehouses beside Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, days after Hamas and other factions signed a disarmament agreement the United States has called a breakthrough toward ending the war.
An Israeli drone attack killed two people in Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency, which cited al-Shifa Hospital, where the casualties were taken along with several wounded. A drone strike in Deir el-Balah killed one person, hospital sources told Al Jazeera, while another Palestinian was killed in a strike on a tent near a school in al-Mawasi, north of Khan Younis.
An overnight strike destroyed medicine warehouses attached to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Gaza’s Health Ministry, which administers hospitals in the territory, said two of four storage facilities were completely destroyed and two others badly damaged, calling the attack a “heinous crime” and appealing for international intervention to protect medical facilities. Hospital spokesman Khalil al-Daqran told the Anadolu news agency that the strike destroyed intravenous fluids, medicines and supplies used in dialysis and intensive care. Witnesses said tents housing displaced families near the hospital caught fire.
Al Jazeera correspondent Moath al-Kahlout visited the site, where he stood beside a large crater, and said the Israeli military issued an evacuation order before striking the facility 15 minutes later. Nearby makeshift shelters and tents were also damaged. “For them, the worst is yet to come, as they will begin another journey of displacement,” he said. Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza, said Al-Aqsa Hospital is one of the few facilities in central Gaza still able to treat large numbers of patients, serving as the main option for displaced families after months of war degraded the territory’s health system.
The Israeli army and its Shin Bet security agency said they destroyed five Hamas weapon depots in strikes across the territory, without directly addressing the hospital warehouses. Israel has not officially commented on the disarmament deal, which was part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire announced in October that called for Hamas to disarm and hand over power to an independent Palestinian administration, an Israeli withdrawal and the deployment of an International Stabilization Force.
The strikes came days after Hamas confirmed Friday that it would agree to disarm in a potential breakthrough, though major obstacles remain. Israeli far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir called the deal “unacceptable” and said the killings in Gaza must continue. Egypt, a key ceasefire mediator, lauded Hamas and other Palestinian groups for “their positive response” in the phased plan, state media reported.
Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire technically in place since October 10, 2025, killing more than 1,200 Palestinians since then, according to Al Jazeera’s reporting. Medical officials warn the destruction of storage facilities will deepen an already acute shortage of medicines in central Gaza, where displaced families crowd into shelters near hospitals.
Sources: Al Jazeera, BBC News, Los Angeles Times.
Author: Middle East Desk
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