Gaza war: Witnesses recount deadly fire at Al-Aqsa hospital after Israel strike
Witnesses to Israeli strike on Gaza hospital compound saw 'so many people burning'
Watch: People battle to put out fires after Israeli strike hits Gaza hospital tent camp
Warning: This story contains details which some people may find upsetting
Witnesses to an Israeli air strike and resulting fire at a tent camp in a Gaza hospital compound have shared with the BBC their horror and helplessness at seeing people injured and killed in the flames.
One mother called it ?one of the worst scenes we?ve witnessed?, while an injured girl said she heard screaming as people tore down their tent to get them out. A man said he had "broken down" as he was "unable to do anything" to help those who burned to death.
The strike hit the al-Aqsa Hospital compound in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, in the early hours of Monday, igniting a fire that burned makeshift shelters for displaced people.
At least four people were killed and dozens injured, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
The BBC has verified the location of a video that shows what appears to be a person on fire. Other footage captures people rushing to extinguish the flames amid screams and explosions sending fireballs into the night sky.
The Israeli military said it had targeted Hamas fighters operating inside a command centre in the car park, after which a fire broke out "likely due to secondary explosions". The military said the incident was under review.
Charity Doctors without Borders (MSF), which has staff working at al-Aqsa, told the BBC ?it had no knowledge? of a Hamas centre and said ?the hospital functions as a hospital?.
The UN's humanitarian affairs agency said in a statement that ?people burned to death? and ?atrocities must end?, while a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council called the footage ?disturbing?.
"The images and video of what appear to be displaced civilians burning alive following an Israeli air strike are deeply disturbing and we have made our concerns clear to the Israeli government,? the spokesperson told the BBC?s partner CBS.
?Israel has a responsibility to do more to avoid civilian casualties ? and what happened here is horrifying, even if Hamas was operating near the hospital in an attempt to use civilians as human shields.?
