Surgeon among six killed in Israeli air strike on Gaza hospital

Palestinian health authorities say a surgeon is one of at least six people who have been killed in an Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza.

The attack happened in the early hours of Thursday morning, local time. Video from the scene shows extensive damage to one of the compound's buildings.

Gaza's Civil Defense agency said the surgery department was hit and that at least 20 people were injured in the blast.

Hours after the strike, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said a "senior Hamas terrorist and additional terrorists" had been using the hospital as a command centre.

"Targeting a medical facility that includes patients receiving treatment and teams performing their humanitarian and professional duty represents a serious attack on the health system and a flagrant violation of international laws and conventions that ensure the protection of medical facilities, employees and patients," Gaza's health ministry said in a statement.

"The ministry confirms that the continued targeting of hospitals and their medical facilities exacerbates the suffering of the sick and wounded, and threatens what remains of the ability of the health sector to provide its services, in light of the catastrophic conditions in the Gaza Strip."

Rizk Abu Shaira was the surgeon who was killed, the ministry said.

Hamas labelled the strike a "fully fledged war crime".

Israel regularly justifies attacks on medical and humanitarian facilities by insisting they lose their protections under international law if they are used by Hamas for terrorist activities.

In this instance, the IDF said Hamas had been using Nasser Hospital as a command centre and claimed the buildings were being used to store weapons and conduct interrogations.

The IDF released graphics showing the building it hit, but did not provide any further evidence to back up its claims about its use by Hamas.

"The IDF and the [Israel Security Agency] strongly condemn the Hamas terrorist organisation's cynical exploitation of civilian and medical infrastructure for military purposes, while endangering the lives of patients, medical personnel, and civilians," it said in a statement.

"Prior to and during the strike, steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precision munitions and aerial surveillance."

The IDF also released audio of what it said was a warning issued to the health ministry for Hamas to cease using hospitals across the strip, or risk further action by the military.

"Israel's genocide in Gaza continues under the guise of a ceasefire," Israeli advocacy group Physicians for Human Rights Israel said.

"Repeated attacks on hospitals and healthcare workers are further devastating an already shattered healthcare system, denying Palestinians in Gaza access to essential medical care and the ability to recover and live in dignity.

"The international community's inaction and continued impunity enable these attacks on Gaza's healthcare system. As long as those responsible are not held accountable, the attacks will continue."

Palestinian health authorities say more than 1,600 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the October 2025 ceasefire, many of them civilians, including women and children.

The death toll in Gaza now stands at more than 74,600 people.

Nasser Hospital has been targeted a number of times during the three-year long war in Gaza, triggered by Hamas' deadly attacks on Israel in October 2023.

On August 25 last year, the hospital was the scene of a "double-tap" strike by Israeli forces.

The IDF claimed it was targeting a Hamas terrorist when it opened fire on a camera operator who had placed his camera on the outside of the hospital to film the Khan Younis skyline.

Minutes later, as emergency workers and fellow journalists were crawling over the site of the attack, another strike hit the building.

Twenty-two Palestinians were killed that day, including five journalists.

Among them were journalists working for the Associated Press and Reuters. The agencies and other media outlets condemned the strikes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu labelled that incident a "tragic mishap" and the IDF said it had launched an investigation into the matter.

Its findings are yet to be released.

Israeli attacks across Gaza have reportedly increased in recent days, despite the ceasefire being in place.

Progress towards the next stage of the ceasefire remains stalled, with Hamas saying it will lay down its weapons only if Israel stops launching strikes and withdraws from territory.

Israel says it will only stop once Hamas demilitarises and no longer poses a threat to the country.

Both sides have been criticised for the delays, although the Trump administration-backed Board of Peace has ratcheted up its rhetoric against the Israeli government in recent months, accusing it of avoiding holding up its side of the bargain.