An overnight attack hit a surgery building in Khan Younis, killing a prominent Palestinian surgeon as both sides traded blame.
An Israeli airstrike hit a surgery building at Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis early Thursday, killing at least six people and injuring dozens more, according to Palestinian officials.
Damage inside the surgical building
The missile struck the hospital complex overnight, tearing through ceilings, intensive care units and operating rooms. NBC News reported that medical staff and patients were among those killed when the strike hit the surgery department. An Associated Press reporter saw parts of the second floor destroyed, according to CBS News, with medical equipment and patient beds scattered across rooms.
Witnesses said a single missile was fired from an Israeli warplane that briefly flew over the compound before the explosion, BBC News reported. The director of Nasser Medical Complex said the facility suffered a vertical hit that caused widespread destruction to surgical wards and intensive care units for both men and women.
Officials gave differing casualty figures after the strike. Gaza’s health ministry and civil defence officials told reporters that six people died in the blast. However, a civil defence official told the BBC that at least five Palestinians were killed. The health ministry said at least a dozen people were wounded, while the civil defence agency placed the number of injured at 20.
Palestinian surgeon Dr. Rizk Abu Shaira was among those killed. Abu Shaira was featured in the 2026 documentary ‘American Doctor,’ which followed three American doctors helping provide medical care in Gaza. Film distributor Watermelon Pictures said its thoughts were with the surgeon’s colleagues and loved ones, condemning the continued attacks on Gaza’s healthcare system.
Military target and accusations
The Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency stated that the airstrike targeted Muhammad Abu Ismail, whom they identified as the commander of Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade who was also responsible for holding hostages in Gaza. Israeli authorities said Abu Ismail and other militants were operating inside the hospital overnight to advance attacks.
Military officials accused Hamas of turning the hospital into ‘a command center for military and terrorist activities,’ alleging the group stored weapons, carried out interrogations and conducted torture on the premises. The military also published photos of weapons it alleged were found within the complex.
Israeli officials said they used precision munitions and aerial surveillance to reduce harm to civilians, adding that the military is looking into reports that medical personnel and patients were killed. Hamas rejected the claims as ‘lies of the criminal enemy,’ calling the strike a war crime and denying that its fighters operate inside medical facilities.
Gaza’s shrinking medical network
Nasser Hospital is the largest hospital in southern Gaza and one of the few medical facilities still operating in the enclave. The overnight attack wasn’t the first time the complex has been struck. In August 2025, an Israeli double strike on the hospital killed at least 20 people, including health workers and five journalists, one of whom was AP contributor Mariam Dagga.
Years of military bombardment have dismantled most of Gaza’s healthcare network. Data from the World Health Organization shows that out of 37 hospitals across the Gaza Strip, only two remain fully functional, 18 operate partially and 17 are considered non-functioning. While hospitals have protected status under international law, Israeli forces have repeatedly hit medical centers across the territory, asserting that Hamas embeds its military network within them.
Truce breaches and winter storms
The strike occurred despite a U.S.-backed ceasefire agreement reached in October of last year. Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the agreement. More than 1,600 Palestinians have been killed since the truce began, with health authorities reporting 1,622 deaths from Israeli strikes and gunfire. Israeli casualties have also been reported under the ceasefire: NBC News reported that Israel said four soldiers were killed, while CBS News reported that five soldiers died.
Israel controls at least 60% of the Gaza Strip, where overall war casualties continue to climb. Since the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages, more than 74,600 Palestinians have died, according to health officials. The strike hit as winter weather worsened living conditions across the enclave, where recent heavy rains flooded tens of thousands of tents housing displaced families.
