Israeli Strike on Gaza's Nasser Hospital Kills at Least Six, Wounds 20

At least six people have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on a building at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, an official from the Hamas-run civil defence agency has said.

The strike hit the hospital's surgery department in Khan Younis, wounding at least 20 people and causing extensive damage, the agency's spokesperson Mahmoud Basal told the news agency AFP.

A surgeon is reported to be among those killed in the strike, which was carried out early on Thursday.

There has been no immediate response from the Israeli military. The BBC has contacted the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment.

The BBC says Israel prevents it from reporting independently from inside the Gaza Strip, so it is unable to verify the details of the incident.

Recovery work in Gaza is carried out by the Civil Defence, which operates under the Hamas-run interior ministry. Its efforts have been supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Nasser is the largest hospital in southern Gaza. In August 2025, a double Israeli strike on the same hospital killed at least 20 people, including journalists and health workers.

Israeli strikes on Gaza have continued despite a ceasefire agreement in October last year. According to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry, more than 1,600 people have been killed since then. The ministry's figures are considered reliable by the UN. Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire.

At the same time, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has worsened, with recent heavy rains reportedly flooding tens of thousands of tents housing displaced families.

The Gaza war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. Since then, more than 74,645 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the health ministry.