An Israeli air strike destroyed the cardiac ward of Gaza’s biggest Al-Shifa hospital, as fighting around the facility raged, according to a health official.

“The occupier (Israel) completely destroyed the cardiac department of Al-Shifa hospital… The two-storey building has been completely destroyed in an air strike,” Youssef Abu Rish, deputy health minister in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip told AFP.

Witnesses confirmed a strike on the hospital, which AFP was unable to independently verify.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.