Israeli Airstrike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis Kills Six, Including a Surgeon

At least six people have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. Around 30 others were injured in the attack.

The dead include doctors, hospital staff, patients and their relatives. A surgeon, Dr Rizq Abu Shaira, is among those killed. The information came from a report published by the BBC.

Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said the strike was carried out in the early hours of Thursday (12 November) on the hospital's Al-Yassin surgery building.

Hospital director Dr Ahmed al-Farra said two missiles hit the building. One of them exploded, while the other did not. The building housed the surgery department and the intensive care unit (ICU).

He said doctors, patients and ordinary people at the hospital were harmed in the attack, and the hospital's infrastructure suffered extensive damage.

Videos circulating on social media showed smoke inside the hospital and widespread destruction on the second floor. Medical equipment and patients' bedding were seen scattered by the blast. The operating theatre, wards, doctors' rest rooms, corridors and lifts were also damaged.

The Israeli military, however, claimed it had targeted a commander of Hamas's armed wing and several fighters. It alleged that Hamas was using the hospital as a military headquarters to plan attacks against Israeli forces.

Hamas rejected Israel's claim, saying Israel was spreading false information to conceal its responsibility for the attack. In its words, this was an attempt to cover up a new war crime.

Gaza's health ministry condemned the strike, saying such attacks on medical personnel and patients are a clear violation of international law and established rules. Under international humanitarian law, hospitals and medical facilities enjoy special protection.

The Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis is the largest hospital in southern Gaza, and around one million people depend on it for medical care. Because international media journalists have no independent access to Gaza, verifying information about attacks and damage there has become difficult.