At a Glance

• An Israeli airstrike hit the surgical wing of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

• Six people were killed, including a doctor, and at least 28 were wounded.

• Surgeries and other services at the hospital have been suspended.

An Israeli airstrike hit the surgical wing of a major hospital in southern Gaza on Thursday, killing six people, including a doctor, and wounding at least 28 others, Gaza’s Health Ministry said, while the Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas commander.

Key Statements and Focus Area

• Hospital Director on the Attack: "Imagine if this event happened in another country in the world. Would the world fall silent about it? No, by God, no." — Ahmed al-Farra, General Director, Nasser Hospital.

• Volunteer Surgeon on the Strike: "It was extremely smoky." — Goher Rahbour, British surgeon volunteering at the hospital.

• Focus Area: The strike on Nasser Hospital and its impact on Gaza's already devastated healthcare system.

The Health Ministry said the dead included general surgeon Rizk Abu Shaira. The strike came just after midnight, and al-Farra said no warning was given.

Parts of several floors were severely damaged or destroyed, and the recovery area on the fourth floor was reduced to rubble.

Surgeries, radiology, and laboratory work have been halted, and al-Farra said nearby facilities cannot perform the specialized operations Nasser had been providing, leaving those patients facing an unknown fate.

Rahbour said he had operated alongside Abu Shaira only hours earlier.

The Israeli military said it struck a Hamas commander and other militants without providing evidence, claiming Hamas had established a presence in the complex and turned it into a headquarters.

Israeli forces have previously attacked Nasser, including a 2025 strike that killed five journalists, among them AP's Mariam Dagga.

Israel has continued striking Gaza despite the US-backed ceasefire that began in October 2025, and health authorities say 1,622 people have been killed since the truce took effect.

FYI

Hospitals and their staff are protected under international humanitarian law, though a hospital can lose that status if used for military purposes.

The war began on October 7, 2023, and Israel's offensive has since killed more than 74,600 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, whose figures UN agencies and independent experts generally regard as reliable. Israel controls at least 60% of the enclave.

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