Israeli Strike on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital Kills Six, Including Surgeon

An Israeli airstrike on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza killed at least six people early Thursday, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The ministry said the strike hit the hospital’s surgery department and that a surgeon was among the dead. The Israeli military said it targeted a senior Hamas commander it said was operating from the hospital, a claim Gaza officials reject.

What happened at the hospital?

The strike hit shortly after midnight local time, according to NBC News. The Independent, citing the health ministry, reported that at least a dozen people were wounded, while ABC News Australia, citing Gaza’s Civil Defense agency, reported at least 20 injured. An Associated Press journalist at the scene said parts of the building’s second floor were destroyed.

Two surgeons who traveled to Gaza earlier this month through a charity told NBC News they were in the hospital during the strike. Both said they were not aware of any warning from the Israeli military and had seen no sign of a Hamas presence in the hospital.

Who was killed?

The health ministry identified the surgeon as Dr. Rizk Abu Shaira. NBC News reported that he appeared in the 2026 documentary “American Doctor,” which followed three American doctors providing care in Gaza. The hospital said a 13-year-old boy was also among the dead,.

Gaza’s health ministry director general, Dr. Mohammed Zaqout, told mourners that Abu Shaira stayed at the hospital through the entire war and “didn’t abandon his duties for even one day,” according to video obtained by NBC News.

What does Israel say?

The Israeli military and the Israel Security Agency said they struck Muhammad Abu Ismail, whom they described as commander of Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade and said was also responsible for holding hostages. They said Hamas had set up a command center in the hospital complex and stored weapons and carried out interrogations there.

The military said steps were taken to reduce harm to civilians, including precision munitions and aerial surveillance, and later said advance warnings were issued. It said it was looking into reports that medical workers and patients were killed. ABC News Australia reported that the military released graphics of the building and photos of weapons it said were found in the complex but provided no further evidence for its claims about how Hamas used the hospital.

What do critics and experts say?

Gaza’s health ministry called the strike a flagrant violation of international law. Hamas called it a war crime, and the Israeli advocacy group Physicians for Human Rights Israel condemned the attack.

NBC News also reported that two munitions experts said an image of debris displayed at the hospital appeared to show part of a GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb, a weapon the U.S. is known to supply to Israel. A third researcher said the imagery was inconclusive. NBC News said it could not independently confirm which munitions were used. The Israeli military and the Pentagon did not immediately comment on whether U.S.-made weapons were involved.

Why does it matter?

Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis is one of the few remaining medical facilities in Gaza, where the health system has been badly damaged by three years of war, according to The Independent. Damage to a surgery department affects patients who depend on the hospital for operations and emergency care.

The hospital has been hit before. On Aug. 25, 2025, a double-tap strike there killed 22 Palestinians, including five journalists, among them people working for the Associated Press and Reuters. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called that incident a tragic mishap, and the Israeli military said it opened an investigation, the findings of which have not been released, ABC News Australia reported.

What does it mean for the ceasefire?

Palestinian health authorities say more than 1,600 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the October 2025 ceasefire, and that the overall death toll in Gaza now exceeds 74,600. Israeli attacks have reportedly increased in recent days, ABC News Australia reported, while progress toward the next stage of the truce remains stalled. Hamas says it will lay down its weapons only if Israel stops its strikes and withdraws from territory. Israel says it will stop only once Hamas disarms and no longer threatens the country.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by The Independent, ABC News (Australia), NBC News