Strike hits Nasser Hospital in Gaza, killing at least six as ceasefire strains
Illustration: Press Pass USA — generated image of a hospital strike sceneAt least six people were killed and more than 20 wounded early Thursday when a strike hit the surgery department of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, the largest hospital in southern Gaza, wrecking wards that were treating patients and sheltering families who had fled their homes.
The blast struck the second floor of the Al-Yasin building inside the Nasser Medical Complex, in the western part of Khan Younis, according to Gaza's Civil Defence agency and the hospital. The hospital's director said the explosion caused extensive damage to the intensive care and surgical wards, and the hospital was forced to halt work in its surgical ward.
Among the dead was a surgeon, Rezik Abushira, identified by medics. The casualties included members of staff, patients and families who had taken shelter inside the complex, and some of the patients hurt had been due to undergo surgery the following day. The death toll rose through the night as rescue teams worked at the site: early reports put the number of dead at four, then five, before the Civil Defence and the hospital put the figure at six.
Israel's military has not confirmed that it carried out the strike and has not said what it was targeting. A military spokesperson told the AFP news agency that officials were checking for information about the incident. Israeli Army Radio described the strike as an "assassination operation," according to reports by Anadolu and Middle East Eye, without giving further details.
The strike came 13 months into a ceasefire that took effect on October 10, 2025. Both sides accuse each other of breaking the truce. Israel says Hamas is trying to regroup and rebuild its arsenal, while Hamas says it remains committed to the ceasefire and accuses Israel of trying to undermine it. Gaza's Health Ministry says 1,622 Palestinians have been killed and 5,878 injured since the truce took effect. Its figures do not distinguish between fighters and civilians. The Israeli military says seven of its soldiers and one civilian contractor have been killed over the same period.
The hospital strike followed a week of deadly incidents across the territory. Local emergency services told AFP that strikes on Tuesday killed seven people, including a 13-year-old boy. The Israeli military said it had targeted "military operatives." Five more people were reported killed in Gaza City and Bureij on Wednesday.
Nasser Hospital has been hit repeatedly during the war. In March 2025, a strike on its surgery department killed Ismail Barhoum, a Hamas political leader who was being treated there. Israel said at the time that it had targeted a senior Hamas figure. In August 2025, a double strike on the hospital killed at least 20 people, including five journalists and four health workers, according to the director-general of the World Health Organization. Israel said it had been targeting a Hamas camera.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza has also worsened after heavy rains flooded tens of thousands of tents housing displaced families. A body known as the Board of Peace said Israel's aid response after the flooding had been "insufficient."
The casualty figures in this report come from the Civil Defence, a rescue agency that operates under the Hamas-run administration in Gaza, and from the hospital itself. There has been no independent count, and the BBC, which is prevented by Israel from reporting independently from inside Gaza, said it was unable to verify details of the incident.
Sources: Reuters, "Israeli strike on southern Gaza hospital kills four, Gaza civil defence says" (Nov. 11, 2026); BBC News, "Surgery wards wrecked as strike hits southern Gaza hospital" (Nov. 12, 2026); Agence France-Presse, as cited by BBC and Reuters (Nov. 12, 2026); Anadolu Agency, as cited by BBC (Nov. 12, 2026).
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