More than 40 people have been killed in an Israeli airstrike that hit a cafe near the port in Gaza City, according to the head of the territory’s largest hospital.
Dr. Mohammad Abu Silmiya, the director of Al-Shifa hospital, said in an update on Monday night that at least 41 people had been killed and 75 injured in the strike.
The Al-Baqa cafe was a well-known spot for students, journalists and remote workers, as it offered internet and a place to work by the Mediterranean coast.
He also said the hospital was short of ICU beds and anesthetics to treat the casualties. The death toll increased Monday night after some people died from their injuries.
“We are treating the injured on the hospital floor as no rooms and hospital beds are available,” the hospital director added.
Among those killed was a freelance journalist, Ismail Abu Hatab, according to other journalists at the scene.
The Hamas-controlled Government Media Office said his death brought to 228 the number of journalists killed by Israeli military action in Gaza since October 2023.