Several Palestinians killed, injured in Israeli airstrike near Baptist Hospital in Gaza

Several Palestinians were killed and injured in an Israeli airstrike on Saturday evening that targeted the area surrounding the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City, but also caused damage to the health facility.

Israeli fighters jets carried out bombing hours after the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced the launch a polio vaccination campaign in Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

"An Israeli airstrike targeted the vicinity of the Baptist Hospital, resulting in casualties and causing damage to the building," a medical source told Anadolu.

The attack caused fear and panic among residents and hospital staff, eyewitnesses also told Anadolu. The injured were later evacuated.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Civil Defense said in a statement that "martyrs and wounded fell as a result of an Israeli airstrike on land adjacent to the laboratory section of the Baptist Hospital in Gaza City."

Israel carried out the airstrike despite the UN warning of potential consequences if military offensive on Gaza continues during the polio vaccination campaign.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The onslaught has resulted in nearly 40,700 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 94,000 injuries, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in the southern city of Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.