Israeli tank shells have struck a hospital in central Gaza, according to a health official and a doctor at the facility said.

The health official said the shells killed at least four people and wounded 60, including 30 medical staff, at al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza on Monday.

The Israeli military said it was looking into the report.

Ashraf al-Qudra, the health official, said 12 shells hit the al-Aqsa Hospital in the town of Deir al-Balah.

He said the shells landed in the administration building, the intensive care unit (ICU) and the surgery department.

Live footage on Hamas' Al Aqsa TV station showed wounded being moved on gurneys into the emergency department.

A doctor at the hospital, Fayez Zidane, told the TV station that shells hit the third and fourth floor as well as the reception area.

"There is still shelling against the hospital," he said. He said he found bits of a rocket, presumably from one of the projectiles.

Zidane appealed to the Red Cross and a nearby hospital to send help.