Al-Shifa hospital’s director, Dr. Mohammad Abu Silmiya, informed on Monday afternoon (early Tuesday AEST) that the airstrike had left at least 31 people dead and 70 others injured.

According to videos analyzed by CNN, there is substantial damage at the site, with thick smoke rising and bodies being carried away on stretchers.

The Israel Defence Forces told CNN it was looking into the circumstances around the strike.

The Al-Baqa cafe, a popular spot providing internet for students, journalists, and remote workers along the Mediterranean coast, has suffered significant damage.

Silmiya told CNN that “most of the casualties are women and children”, including many students who were at the cafe for internet access.

He also said the hospital was short of ICU beds and anaesthetics to treat the casualties.

“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.