Israeli airstrike on Nasser Hospital kills five Palestinians in Gaza

At least five Palestinians were killed and about 20 injured when an Israeli airstrike hit the surgical and intensive‑care wards of Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza early on Thursday, the Hamas‑run Civil Defence agency said. Eyewitnesses reported a single missile fired from a warplane that briefly passed over the complex, and a surgeon is among those confirmed dead. The hospital is the largest medical facility in the southern part of the Strip.

Israel says the strike was aimed at a senior Hamas operative and other militants it alleges were using the hospital as a command centre for military activities. The Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency issued a joint statement condemning Hamas for exploiting “civilian and medical infrastructure” and claimed they used precision munitions and aerial surveillance to limit civilian harm. International law classifies hospitals as protected sites, yet they have been repeatedly hit during the Gaza war. The attack comes amid a fragile ceasefire that began in October 2023 but has been repeatedly violated by both sides, with more than 1,600 people killed in Gaza since the truce, according to the Hamas‑run health ministry, figures the United Nations deems reliable.

Civil‑defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal initially reported six deaths, while videos shared by activists show thick smoke and extensive damage on the second floor where beds and equipment were scattered. The director of Nasser Medical Complex described the hit as a vertical strike that devastated the intensive‑care and surgical departments for men and women. Recovery work is being carried out by Gaza’s Civil Defence with assistance from the International Committee of the Red Cross. Nasser Hospital was also hit by a double Israeli strike in August 2025 that killed at least 20 people, including journalists and health workers, underscoring the repeated danger to medical facilities.

The strike raises fresh concerns about the protection of health services in a densely populated conflict zone already suffering from severe humanitarian strain. Flooding from recent heavy rains has compounded the crisis, limiting access to already scarce medical supplies. International observers are likely to call for investigations into the legality of the attack, while aid agencies warn that further damage to Gaza’s hospitals could push the civilian death toll higher and deepen the region’s health emergency.