Gaza, MINA – Fifteen Palestinians, including renowned surgeon Dr. Ahmed Qandil, were killed on Sunday afternoon when Israeli occupation forces (IOF) carried out an airstrike targeting a civilian gathering at the Al-Samar intersection in central Gaza City.
Dr. Qandil, a leading general surgeon and senior consultant at Al-Ma’amadani Hospital, was highly respected for his medical expertise and unwavering dedication to treating the wounded amid Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza. The Gaza Ministry of Health mourned his loss, describing him as “a pillar of the medical staff” who worked tirelessly under siege and bombardment.
“Dr. Qandil worked day and night in the corridors of Gaza’s hospitals until he was martyred while performing his humanitarian duty,” the ministry said in an official statement, as cited by Palestine Information Center.
Colleagues praised Dr. Qandil for his professionalism, compassion, and mentorship to younger doctors. Dr. Munir Al-Bursh, Director General of the Gaza Health Ministry, called the assassination part of a systematic campaign against Gaza’s health sector.
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“Dr. Qandil’s martyrdom is not an exception,” Al-Bursh wrote on X. “He is one of 1,588 health workers, including doctors, nurses, and paramedics, who have been deliberately targeted while saving lives.” He added, “Hospitals have become military targets, ambulances turned into moving coffins.”
He concluded, “Why is a doctor being killed? Because he gives life.”
Sunday’s strike also hit a crowded market filled with displaced people, killing at least 15 civilians, including a child, and injuring over 50 others. Civil defense teams reported ongoing rescue efforts under extremely dangerous conditions.
In a separate IOF strike the same day, four more civilians were killed in Gaza City, bringing the death toll to 19 within a few hours as Israel intensified attacks on residential neighborhoods and markets.
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Since October 7, 2023, Israel has waged a devastating war on Gaza, killing and injuring more than 195,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children and displacing hundreds of thousands. Over 10,000 remain missing, while famine and disease continue to claim lives, especially among children. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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