An Israeli air strike Sunday hit one of Gaza's few functioning hospitals, killing a child according to the World Health Organization, as Israel warned it would expand its offensive if Hamas does not release hostages.

Since the outbreak of war, tens of thousands of Gazans have sought refuge in hospitals, many of which have suffered severe damage in the ongoing hostilities.

"A child died due to disruption of care" at the Al-Ahli Hospital in northern Gaza after a strike, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X.

"The emergency room, laboratory, emergency room X-ray machines and the pharmacy were destroyed," he added. "The hospital was forced to move 50 patients to other hospitals. 40 critical patients couldn't be moved."

The military said it targeted a Hamas "command and control centre" at the hospital, a claim the Palestinian group denied.

Gaza's civil defence agency said the strike came "minutes after the (Israeli) army's warning to evacuate".

AFP photographs showed massive slabs of concrete and twisted metal scattered across the site after the strike.

The blast left a gaping hole in one of the hospital's buildings, with iron........

© Al Monitor