What happened
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza reported that six people were killed and about 30 others were injured in an Israeli air strike on Nasser hospital in Khan Younis overnight. The ministry said medical staff, patients and companions were among those killed, including surgeon Dr Rizq Abu Shaira.
Hospital director Dr Ahmed al-Fara said two missiles hit the al-Yasin surgery building, which contains surgical wards and intensive care units, but only one exploded. He said the hospital received no advance warning of an attack.
Footage shared by activists and filmed by a freelance journalist working for the BBC showed extensive damage to an operating theatre, wards, a sleeping area for medics, hallways and lifts. Photographs also appeared to show an unexploded missile inside the surgical building.
Dr Mohammed Qdeih, a general surgery specialist wounded in the head, told the BBC that he and other medical staff had just finished work around 00:30 and were preparing to sleep when an explosion occurred. He said he was trapped under rubble before freeing himself, and that Dr Abu Shaira and patients in nearby rooms were killed.
The Israeli military said it carried out a precise strike targeting the commander of Hamas's Khan Younis Brigade, Mohammed Abu Ismail, and other fighters who were hiding inside the hospital. The military alleged the fighters had turned the compound into a headquarters and were planning attacks against Israeli forces. It said advance warnings were issued before the strike.
Hamas rejected the Israeli account, calling it a false narrative intended to cover up a war crime targeting a civilian medical facility.
Dr al-Fara said this was the seventh time Nasser hospital had been struck during the war. In August 2025, a double Israeli strike killed 22 Palestinians at the facility, including journalists and health workers.
The World Health Organization said it has documented 1,056 attacks on healthcare in Gaza over the past three years, resulting in 1,010 deaths. Its director general warned that Gaza's health facilities must be protected and never militarized or attacked.
