The Israeli military said it was an operation to find Hamas hostages.
Israeli forces entered the main hospital in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday, hours after Israeli fire killed a patient and injured six others inside the complex.
This raid took place a day after the army sought to evacuate thousands of displaced people who had taken refuge in the Nasser hospital in Khan Younes. This southern city has been the main target of the Israeli offensive against Hamas in recent weeks.
The army said it had “credible information” that Hamas had held hostages in the hospital and that the remains of the hostages could still be inside. Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the army’s chief spokesman, said the forces were carrying out an operation “precise and limited” on site and that they would not forcibly evacuate doctors or patients.
Israel accuses Hamas of using hospitals and other civilian facilities to protect its fighters.
Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said Israel had launched a “massive incursion” with heavy gunfire which injured many displaced people who had taken refuge there. He said the army ordered doctors to move all patients to an older building that was not equipped for their treatment.
“Many cannot be evacuated, such as people with lower limb amputations, severe burn victims or the elderly”he said in an interview with Al Jazeera.