Nasser Hospital Strike in Gaza Kills Six as Truce Holds

Six people, including a general surgeon, died when an Israeli airstrike hit the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis early Thursday morning. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that at least 28 others were wounded in the attack, which struck the facility's surgical wing. The strike occurred just after midnight, according to Goher Rahbour, a British surgeon volunteering at the hospital who was on the fourth floor when the bomb hit. He described the scene as extremely smoky and noted that the recovery area on his floor was reduced to rubble.

The Israeli military stated that it targeted a Hamas commander and other militants inside the complex. In a statement released Thursday, the military said Hamas had established a presence within the hospital and that the commander had turned it into a headquarters. The army did not provide visual evidence for this claim. Parts of several floors inside the hospital were severely damaged or destroyed, with debris scattered across beds and equipment and rebar dangling from the ceiling where the munition penetrated.

Rizk Abu Shaira, a doctor at Nasser Hospital, was among those killed. Rahbour said he had been operating alongside Abu Shaira just hours before the strike, describing him as a lovely, happy, and smiling colleague. Nasser Hospital is one of the few functioning medical facilities left in Gaza, a region where healthcare infrastructure has been heavily damaged by a war that began in October 2023.

This attack follows a pattern of Israeli forces raiding or sieging hospitals across Gaza. The military has accused Hamas of using these sites as command centers and hiding fighters, actions that have led to the destruction of medical supplies and the death or detention of hundreds of healthcare workers. While international humanitarian law protects hospitals during armed conflict, that status can be lost if the facility is used for military purposes.

The war in Gaza started when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Since then, Israel's offensive has killed more than 74,600 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Although a U.S.-backed ceasefire took effect in October 2025, Israel continues to strike the enclave and controls at least 60 percent of the territory. Since the truce began, health authorities say 1,622 people have been killed by Israeli strikes and gunfire, while five Israeli soldiers have also been killed.

Nasser Hospital has previously been a target. In 2025, the military killed five journalists, including AP contributor Mariam Dagga, when it struck a gathering point for local reporters at the same complex. The current strike adds to the toll of the ongoing conflict, with the hospital serving as a critical hub for medical care in the southern part of the strip.