An Israeli military airstrike struck Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza on Thursday morning, resulting in six deaths and 28 wounded, according to hospital director Dr Ahmed al-Fara. The Israeli military stated it had targeted a Hamas commander and other fighters at the facility, though it provided no evidence to support the claim. The strike caused significant structural damage, destroying portions of the surgery department and creating extensive harm across multiple floors of the building.
The attack forced the suspension of services in four hospital departments: radiology, laboratories, surgical operations, and inpatient surgical wards. Witnesses described severe destruction, with ceiling collapses, debris-covered beds, and holes left in floors from bomb penetration. Dr Ayman Abu Ubaid, a surgical specialist wounded in the attack, described the scene as filled with thick smoke, fires, and casualties, noting the strike occurred around 12:30am without warning. Patients scheduled for surgery were present in the departments at the time.
Among those killed was Dr Rizk Abu Shaira, a 52-year-old general surgeon who appeared in the documentary American Doctor, which documented physicians working in Gaza. He was killed alongside one of his patients. Another fatality was Seif Ghazi Abu Hatab, a 29-year-old admitted to the hospital following an injury while clearing debris from a friend’s home. He had been scheduled for surgery later that morning and was intended to receive further treatment abroad.
Nasser hospital is among Gaza’s last functioning healthcare facilities, having previously experienced attacks that killed journalists in a double-tap strike. The facility has been attacked seven times since the conflict began. The Israeli military has maintained that Hamas uses hospitals as command centers and weapons storage, accusations the organization denies. International humanitarian law prohibits attacks on healthcare facilities, though protected status can be lost if facilities are used for military purposes.
The hospital currently lacks approximately 80% of essential medicines and medical supplies. Medical personnel losses have been substantial, with more than 1,700 healthcare workers killed and hundreds detained by Israel, according to Doctors Without Borders. The UN estimates that approximately 90% of Gaza’s health infrastructure has been destroyed or damaged, a situation characterized by UN experts as systematic destruction. These circumstances occur amid increased winter healthcare demands in Gaza, where displacement and crowded conditions are facilitating disease spread.
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