Khamenei cannot be ‘allowed to exist’: Israel fumes after Iranian strikes hit hospital, stock exchange

Israel-Iran War: Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, declared on Thursday that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “can no longer be allowed to exist” following an Iranian missile attack that struck an Israeli hospital. 

Speaking to journalists in Holon near Tel Aviv, Katz said, “Khamenei openly declares that he wants Israel destroyed — he personally gives the order to fire on hospitals. He considers the destruction of the state of Israel to be a goal.” He added emphatically, “Such a man can no longer be allowed to exist.”

This statement came amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran, with Israeli officials announcing plans to intensify strikes on “strategic targets” within Iran after a barrage of Iranian missiles injured dozens across Israel and damaged a hospital building. 

The Israel-Iran conflict has intensified as US President Donald Trump left open the possibility of military action against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Iranian Missile Attack Targets Israeli Hospital

Iranian state media reported that the missile attack, which damaged the Soroka Medical Centre in Be’er Sheva, targeted the “vast command and intelligence base” of the Israeli military’s C4i technology and communications unit, located in the Gav-Yam technology park. 

The hospital is located less than two miles from this military complex. 

Israeli Defence Minister Katz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have ordered the military to “intensify strikes against strategic targets” in Iran in response. Katz condemned Khamenei’s actions as the “gravest of war crimes,” accusing the Iranian leader of hiding in a “fortified bunker” while directing attacks on hospitals and residential areas.

The missile strike on Soroka Medical Centre caused extensive damage but reportedly resulted in no serious injuries. It marked the first time an Iranian missile had hit an Israeli hospital since the conflict began last week. Overall, 65 people were injured in the latest wave of Iranian missile attacks on Israeli territory.

Israeli Stock Exchange Hit By Iranian Airstrike

Iran also launched a missile strike on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange building in Ramat Gan, causing extensive damage and shattering glass across the area. Despite the attack, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange index surged to a fresh 52-week high, reflecting market resilience amid escalating tensions. 

Israeli Airstrikes Devastate Gaza Hospitals in 2025

Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes have inflicted severe damage on hospitals in Gaza, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in the region. On 13 May 2025, Israeli forces targeted the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, one of Gaza’s largest medical facilities, dropping at least nine bunker-busting bombs and dozens of other munitions within 30 seconds. 

The assault caused significant destruction to the hospital’s infrastructure—including its entrance, emergency room, and access routes—killing at least 28 people and injuring over 40. The hospital’s water supply was cut off, and most of its 200 patients were evacuated.

Israel Inflicted Damage to Gaza’s Hospitals Since 2023

Since 2023, Israeli airstrikes on Gaza’s healthcare facilities have severely undermined the territory’s fragile medical system. The World Health Organisation reported nearly 500 attacks on healthcare facilities in Gaza between October 2023 and September 2024, resulting in hundreds of deaths, including medical personnel, and leaving most hospitals partially or completely non-operational. 

Major hospitals such as the European Hospital in Khan Yunis and Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City have repeatedly been targeted, suffering extensive damage to critical infrastructure like emergency rooms, water, and sewage systems.

Israel maintains that these strikes are aimed at Hamas command centres and militants allegedly operating within or beneath medical facilities. However, these claims have been widely challenged and criticised by international observers and humanitarian organisations for lacking credible evidence and for causing disproportionate harm to civilians. 

The relentless bombardment has pushed Gaza’s healthcare system to the brink of collapse, severely limiting medical care amid a protracted conflict that has displaced much of the population and resulted in tens of thousands of casualties.

Escalating Conflict in Middle East

This intensifying conflict between Israel and Iran represents an escalation of a decades-long rivalry. The ongoing war began with Israeli airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear and military sites in June 2025, shortly after the expiration of a US-imposed deadline to halt Iran’s nuclear programme. 

Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks on Israeli cities and military installations, including strikes on civilian infrastructure such as hospitals. Both sides have sustained casualties and damage, with the conflict drawing international concern over regional stability and the humanitarian toll.