An Israeli air strike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, killed six people early on Thursday, the Hamas-run health ministry said. The strike hit a building that houses the hospital’s surgical wards and intensive care units. The Israeli military said it had targeted a commander of Hamas’s armed wing and other fighters, whom it said had used the hospital as a headquarters to plan attacks on its forces. Hamas rejected that account.
The Nasser Hospital strike has been condemned by the health ministry, while Israel and Hamas give opposing accounts of why the building was hit. Both sides’ claims cannot be checked independently from inside Gaza.
What staff and officials described
The health ministry said medical staff, patients and their companions were among the dead, including the surgeon Dr Rizq Abu Shaira. It called the attack a “flagrant violation of international laws and conventions.” The ministry put the number of wounded at about 30. A civil defence spokesperson, Mahmoud Basal, told a news agency that at least 20 people had been wounded, so the two figures differ.
The hospital’s director, Dr Ahmed al-Fara, said Israeli forces fired two missiles at the al-Yasin surgery building overnight, but only one exploded. He said the strike mainly affected doctors, civilians and patients, and described “huge damage” to the hospital’s infrastructure. A paramedic from the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency said in a video that a missile went through the five-storey building and hit a room in the surgical department.
Dr Mohammed Qdeih, a general surgery specialist who was wounded in the head, said he and other staff had just finished work around 00:30 and were preparing to sleep when the explosion came. He said his body was trapped under the rubble and that he struggled to free himself. Footage shared by activists showed thick smoke and heavy damage on the second floor, where equipment and beds had been scattered.
Israel’s account and the wider context
Israel accuses Hamas, which retains security control of parts of Gaza not occupied by Israeli troops, of storing weapons and running command rooms in hospitals. Hamas denies this. Hamas said Israel was spreading “false narratives” in a “blatant attempt to cover up a new war crime.”
Hospitals have protected status under international law, yet they have been repeatedly targeted during the Gaza war. The Nasser Medical Complex serves almost one million people and was hit by a double Israeli strike in August 2025 that killed at least 20 people, including journalists and health workers. Israeli strikes have continued despite a ceasefire agreement in October 2025. The health ministry says more than 1,600 people have been killed since then, and the UN considers its figures reliable. Israel and Hamas accuse each other of violating the ceasefire.
Recovery work at the hospital is being carried out by the Civil Defence, whose efforts are supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Heavy rain has also flooded tens of thousands of tents housing displaced families, adding to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 7 October 2023: A Hamas-led attack on southern Israel killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostage, triggering the Gaza war.
- August 2025: A double Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital killed at least 20 people, including journalists and health workers.
- October 2025: A ceasefire agreement was reached, but Israeli strikes on Gaza continued.
- Early Thursday: An Israeli air strike hit Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis; the health ministry says six people were killed.
- Since the ceasefire: More than 1,600 people have been killed, according to the health ministry.
- Since the start of the war: More than 74,645 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the health ministry.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Gaza ke Nasser Hospital par Israeli hamle mein chhe log halak hue, jaisa ke Hamas ki sehat ki wazarat ne kaha hai. Israeli fauj ka kehna hai ke woh Hamas ke ek commander aur doosre jangjuon ko nishana bana rahi thi, jabke Hamas is daave ko ghalat kehta hai. Hospital ki imarat ko kafi nuqsan pohancha hai aur doctors aur marizon ki jaan khatre mein thi. Pakistan par iska seedha asar abhi wazeh nahi, lekin Gulf aur tel ki qeematon par nazar rakhni hogi.
