At least six Palestinians died, including a surgeon and a 13-year-old kid, and others were injured when an Israeli aircraft hit Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, the Palestinian health officials said.
The strike attacked the hospital’s surgical wing in Khan Younis in the early hours of Thursday, November 12, 2026, destroying one of the few remaining large medical facilities still functioning in the war-torn area.
The strike targeted the second level of the hospital facility, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported, damaging surgical facilities and disrupting medical services.
Among the dead was surgeon Rezik Abushira, who had been working inside the facility treating patients. Among the victims was a 13-year-old kid.
The attack injured at least 20 individuals, the Associated Press reported . Twenty-eight people were hurt. The devastation caused the closure of several hospital departments.
I was on an overnight shift when the explosion rocked the building, plunging the region into darkness and creating massive destruction’, Reuters quoted Dr Ayman Abu Obeid, who was injured in the incident, as saying.
The Israeli military acknowledged the strike, saying it targeted Muhammad Abu Ismail, whom it described as the head of Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade, and other terrorists purportedly operating within the hospital complex.
The military says Hamas utilised the medical facility as a command center for military actions and claimed the group had set up a presence within the hospital.
But Hamas refuted the claim it was utilising the facility for military purposes. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, the Israeli military did not publicly present proof to corroborate their assertions.
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The walkout has brought back concerns about the safety of medical facilities and health personnel in Gaza, where the health system has been shattered by years of conflict.
Nasser Hospital is one of the few remaining large hospitals that serve southern Gaza. The facility’s surgical department is specialised and provides treatment to a significant part of the territory’s population, the disruption is particularly dangerous for patients requiring emergency surgeries.
Hospital authorities stated surgical procedures had been suspended in numerous sections and that damage had also impacted radiography and laboratory services.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, stressed that healthcare facilities must be protected and not utilised for war objectives.
The new incident is also notable because Nasser Hospital has been targeted before throughout the conflict. Since the Gaza conflict began in October 2023, the hospital complex has been struck at least seven times, according to health officials.
At least 20 people, including five journalists and health workers, were killed in an Israeli strike on the same hospital in August 2025, prompting international criticism.
The latest incident happened despite a ceasefire deal sponsored by the US that began in October 2025. But Israeli strikes and other fatal incidents have persisted throughout the region.
More than 1,600 Palestinians have been murdered since the ceasefire began, Gaza health officials said. Five Israeli soldiers have also been killed in the same period.
The continued violence has cast doubt on the strength of the truce and efforts to move negotiations forward toward a durable settlement.
The incident has once more brought international attention to the security of hospitals and civilians in the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
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