Before dawn on Thursday, an Israeli airstrike hit the surgery department of Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, killing six people, including a surgeon, and wounding others.
Gaza's civil defence and the hospital said the strike landed on the surgery department.
The Israeli military said it targeted Mohammed Abu Ismail, commander of Hamas's Khan Younis Brigade, and other fighters it said were operating from the hospital.
In a joint statement with Shin Bet, the military said Abu Ismail directed attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians and was responsible for holding numerous hostages captive during the war. Hamas had turned the hospital complex into a headquarters and command centre to store weapons, conduct interrogations and coordinate attacks.
The military said Abu Ismail was killed, though no independent verification of his death has been reported.
Among the dead was surgeon Rizk Abu Shaira, 52, who had featured in the documentary American Doctor. He was killed alongside one of his patients, a man he had operated on.
Dr Rizk was in the American Doctor documentary operating and serving his people. He lost his life doing that, he lost his life because he was doing that.
Dr Ayman Abu Ubaid, a surgical specialist wounded in the attack, said it came at about 12.30am, without warning.
The bombing caused thick smoke to fill the rooms and fires to break out, amid the groans of wounded and people’s screams. There were many casualties and blood everywhere … Most of us sustained injuries to our limbs, as well as shrapnel wounds in different parts of our bodies.
Abu Ubaid said the patients in the department were all waiting for operations, and that the bombing came at an hour when they should have been asleep.
Seif Ghazi Abu Hatab, 29, was also killed. He'd been admitted on Monday after debris fell on his back while he helped clear rubble, and was said to be due for surgery at 10am on Thursday.
His cousin Tareq Abu Hatab said the young man had already lost two brothers and his father, and that his mother had now lost three sons.
The hospital director, Dr Ahmed al-Fara, said 28 people were wounded and services were suspended in radiology, laboratories, surgical operations and inpatient surgical wards.
Al-Fara said two missiles hit the al-Yasin surgery building, but only one exploded. The hospital had received no warning before the attack.
What's happened in Nasser Medical Complex is targeting the health sector mainly. We are talking about doctors, we are talking about civilians, we are talking about patients.
Dr Mohammed Qdeih, a general surgery specialist wounded in the head, said his whole body was trapped under the rubble; for a moment, he felt he was about to lose consciousness, or to die.
Qdeih said he and other staff had finished work at about 00:30 and were preparing to sleep when the explosion came.
He described the dead surgeon as the kindest person in the department, always willing to help and one of the best among them.
Patients were killed as well. There were patients in the rooms next to us who were killed. A patient comes to the hospital seeking treatment and leaves carried on people's shoulders. I do not know what kind of humanity this is.
Israel's military said it warned people ahead of the strike and shared an audio recording it described as a warning to a senior Gaza health official.
Paramedic Ezzedin Abu Sabha said F-16 aircraft struck the surgery building without warning, wounding a large number of patients and killing patients and doctors.
Two accounts of the warning
Israel's military
On warnings
- Says advance warnings were issued before the strike
- Released an audio recording of what it said was a warning to a senior Gaza health official
Hospital staff
On warnings
- Hospital director Ahmed al-Fara said no warning was received
- Paramedic Ezzedin Abu Sabha said the building was bombed without prior warning
- Wounded surgeon Ayman Abu Ubaid said the strike came at about 12.30am without warning
Hamas denied using the hospital for military purposes and called the strike a war crime.
A hospital serving almost one million people
Nasser is the largest hospital in southern Gaza and one of the strip's last functioning healthcare facilities. It serves almost one million people.
According to al-Fara, the hospital was already short of about 80% of its essential medicines and medical supplies before the strike.
Seven attacks since the war began
The hospital has been attacked seven times since the war began.
In a single day in August 2025, the civil defence said, Israeli strikes on the hospital killed 20 people, including five journalists.
- Oct 2023War begins
Hamas-led militants attack southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.
- Aug 2025Twenty killed in a day
Israeli strikes on Nasser hospital kill 20 people including five journalists, the civil defence said.
- Oct 2025Ceasefire
A US-backed ceasefire takes effect, and Israel and Hamas accuse each other of violations.
- 12 NovSurgery building hit
Two missiles hit the al-Yasin surgery building before dawn; one exploded and six people were killed.
The strike was the deadliest single attack since Israel's elections last month, according to Gaza health officials. Israel is governed by a caretaker administration under Benjamin Netanyahu after an inconclusive election, with the opposition bloc head Gadi Eisenkot tasked with forming a new administration.
The toll since the ceasefire
A US-backed ceasefire took effect in October 2025, and both Israel and Hamas accuse each other of violating its terms. More than 1,600 Palestinians have been killed since it began, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
Israel's military reported that seven soldiers and one civilian contractor had been killed in the same period. Four soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire deal.
The Gaza Health Ministry said more than 74,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 2023. The war began that month, after militants led by Hamas killed around 1,200 people in an attack in southern Israel and took 251 hostages.
Gaza has lost more than 1,700 healthcare workers. MSF said Israel has held hundreds of medics since 7 October 2023, and at least 95 remain in custody; about 90% of the strip's health infrastructure has been destroyed or damaged.
Israel's Prime Minister's Office said on Tuesday that Hamas must disarm and Gaza must be demilitarised before reconstruction begins under US President Donald Trump's 20-point plan. Hamas has not surrendered a single weapon, it said. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem called the strike a war crime and held the Board of Peace, the US-backed body overseeing the ceasefire plan, responsible for not stopping it.
Israel doesn't allow international news organisations into Gaza, making events there difficult to verify.
What we know
- Nasser hospital is the largest in southern Gaza and serves almost one million people.
- The hospital has been attacked seven times since the war began.
- It already lacks about 80% of its essential drugs and medical supplies, said Dr Ahmed al-Fara, the hospital's director.
- More than 1,700 healthcare workers have been killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023.
- About 90% of Gaza's health infrastructure has been destroyed or damaged.
Still unclear
- Whether the second missile, which did not explode, was cleared or remains a hazard.
- The final death toll, with rescue and recovery work continuing.
- The outcome of the Israeli military's review of the strike results.
- Whether Mohammed Abu Ismail was killed; the military said he was, with no independent verification.
- Why reports spell the dead surgeon's name differently: Rizk Abu Shaira, Rizk Abu Sharia, Rezik Abushira and Rizq Abu Shaira.
The military named Abu Ismail as its target. In a previous statement, it said the strike's outcome had yet to be assessed.
