Israeli Strike on Nasser Hospital in Gaza Kills Six, Including a Surgeon
An Israeli airstrike hit a building at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, early on Thursday, November 12, killing at least six people, including a surgeon, and wounding about 20 others, Gaza’s civil defence service said.
The strike hit the hospital’s surgery department, causing extensive damage, according to Mahmoud Basal, the spokesperson for Gaza’s civil defence. Medics identified one of the dead as Rezik Abushira, a surgeon at the hospital.
The death toll rose through the night. Reuters first reported five dead, then updated its figure to six, matching reports from the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse. The hospital confirmed six deaths in a statement, AFP reported, and the Associated Press cited Gaza’s Health Ministry in reporting six dead and at least a dozen wounded.
What happened at Nasser Hospital
The strike hit the second floor of the Al-Yasin building at the Nasser Medical Complex in western Khan Younis, Anadolu Agency reported, citing the hospital’s director. The blast caused extensive damage to the intensive care and surgical wards, the director said.
Nasser Hospital is the main medical facility in southern Gaza, and it has been struck several times during the war. This was the latest attack on the complex, and it came 13 months into a ceasefire that took effect on October 10, 2025, which each side accuses the other of breaching.
The Israeli military did not immediately confirm that it carried out the strike or say what it was targeting. A military spokesperson told AFP it was checking information about the incident. The Israeli military later said it had targeted Hamas operatives allegedly operating from the hospital and claimed it killed six alleged militants. Reuters reported the claim but said it could not independently verify it, and the publicly presented material examined by fact-checkers did not establish that the hospital was functioning as a Hamas military headquarters.
Why this matters
Attacks on hospitals carry particular weight under international humanitarian law, which gives medical facilities special protection unless they are used to commit acts harmful to the enemy — a high bar that requires clear evidence. The strike also tests a ceasefire that has already been strained by repeated violations on both sides. The region remains volatile even after Trump said the Iran war is effectively over earlier this week.
The casualty figures come from Gaza’s civil defence, a rescue agency under the Hamas-run administration in Gaza, and from the hospital itself. There has been no independent count of the dead and wounded.
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The strike came three days after President Trump’s Board of Peace called the flooding of Gaza’s tent camps an “immediate humanitarian emergency” and urged Israel to authorize winter supplies. It also came as U.S. envoys prepared to brief Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after two days of talks in Abu Dhabi — a reminder that Washington’s attention is split across several conflicts at once.
Latest developments
- The death toll stands at six, with about 20 wounded, according to Gaza’s civil defence and the hospital.
- The Israeli military has said it targeted Hamas operatives at the hospital, a claim Reuters said it could not independently verify.
- No independent casualty count has been published.
- The Board of Peace and the United Nations have not yet issued a statement on this strike specifically.
Frequently asked questions
How many people were killed in the Nasser Hospital strike?
At least six people were killed, including surgeon Rezik Abushira, and about 20 were wounded, according to Gaza’s civil defence, the hospital and Gaza’s Health Ministry. Initial reports put the toll at four or five before it was updated to six.
What part of the hospital was hit?
The strike hit the surgery department, on the second floor of the Al-Yasin building at the Nasser Medical Complex, causing extensive damage to the intensive care and surgical wards.
Has Israel commented on the strike?
The Israeli military initially had no immediate comment and said it was checking information about the incident. It later said it targeted Hamas operatives allegedly operating from the hospital and claimed six alleged militants were killed. Reuters said it could not independently verify that claim.
Is the Gaza ceasefire still in effect?
The ceasefire that took effect on October 10, 2025, remains formally in place, but each side accuses the other of breaching it, and strikes on both sides have continued.
The strike is the latest test of a ceasefire that has held in name while breaking down in practice, and it leaves the main hospital in southern Gaza damaged again, with its surgery department out of action. What happens next depends on whether the Board of Peace and the mediators can keep the ceasefire from unraveling further — and whether an independent account of what happened at Nasser Hospital emerges.
Sources: Reuters; Associated Press; Agence France-Presse; Anadolu Agency.
