AN ISRAELI air strike hit a field hospital in the Gaza Strip today, killing a medic and wounding nine other people.

The Kuwaiti Field Hospital is in the Muwasi area, where hundreds of thousands of displaced people are living in tent camps. 

The wounded were all patients and medics and two of the patients were in a critical condition, said hospital spokesman Saber Mohammed.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.

Israeli forces have attacked and raided hospitals on several occasions during the 18-month war, accusing Hamas militants of using them for military purposes. Hospital staff have denied the allegations.

On Sunday, Israel struck the last major hospital providing critical care in northern Gaza after ordering an evacuation.

A patient died during the evacuation, and the strike severely damaged the emergency room, pharmacy and surrounding buildings, according to al-Ahli Hospital.

The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which runs the hospital, condemned the strike.

Israel claimed to have targeted a Hamas command and control centre within the facility, without providing evidence. The Islamist group rejected the allegations.

More than 51,000 of Gaza’s people have now died since Israel invaded Gaza following the October 7 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel, which killed 1,139 people and led to 251 being abducted.

The Palestinian death toll includes more than 1,600 people killed since Israel ended a ceasefire last month.

Separately, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his opposition to Palestinian statehood in a phone conversation yesterday with French President Emmanuel Macron, who had said that Paris intended to recognise Palestine as a state later this year.

Mr Netanyahu claimed that it would be “a huge reward for terrorism” and result in a militant-run entity just miles from Israeli cities.

Posting on X, the French president called for another ceasefire, the release of hostages and renewed delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, which Israel has blocked for over a month.