In short
- Six people were killed and about 30 injured when two missiles hit the al-Yasin surgery building at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
- The hospital’s director, Dr Ahmed al-Fara, said one of the two missiles did not explode, and that the hospital received no warning before the strike.
- The Israeli military said it targeted Mohammed Abu Ismail, commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade, and other fighters it said were operating from the hospital.
- Surgeon Dr Rizq Abu Shaira was among those killed; Dr Mohammed Qdeih, wounded in the head, said he was in a nearby bed when the explosion brought rubble down on him.
- The World Health Organization says it has documented 1,056 attacks on healthcare in Gaza over the past three years, resulting in 1,010 deaths.
An Israeli air strike hit the al-Yasin surgery building at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, killing six people and injuring about 30, the Hamas-run health ministry said. The hospital’s director, Dr Ahmed al-Fara, said two missiles struck the five-storey building overnight and only one of them exploded.
The health ministry said medical staff, patients and people accompanying them were among the dead, including surgeon Dr Rizq Abu Shaira. It condemned the attack as a “flagrant violation of international laws and conventions”.
What did the Israeli military say about the strike?
The Israeli military said its “precise strike” targeted the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade, whom it named as Mohammed Abu Ismail, along with other fighters it said were hiding inside the hospital. It alleged the compound had been turned into a headquarters used to plan attacks on its forces, and said it issued advance warnings and released an audio recording of one given to a senior Gaza health official. Fara said the hospital had received no warning.
What happened inside the hospital?
Dr Mohammed Qdeih, a general surgery specialist who was wounded in the head, said he and other medical staff had finished work at about 00:30 and were preparing to sleep when the explosion came. “My whole body was trapped under the rubble,” he told the BBC. “I managed to pull myself free. It was dark, there were no lights, nothing at all.”
Qdeih said he had been lying in a bed near Abu Shaira, who was killed, and that another colleague suffered a broken leg. “Patients were killed as well,” he said. “A patient comes to the hospital seeking treatment and leaves carried on people’s shoulders.”
How many times has Nasser hospital been hit?
Fara said this was the seventh time Nasser hospital had been struck during the war. In August 2025, a double Israeli strike on the complex killed 22 Palestinians, including journalists and health workers. The World Health Organization said it had documented 1,056 attacks on healthcare in Gaza over the past three years, resulting in 1,010 deaths. The Nasser Medical Complex is the largest hospital in southern Gaza and serves almost one million people, at a time when the World Food Programme is cutting its Gaza aid by a third as funding falls short.
Under international law, hospitals have protected status, but they have been repeatedly targeted during the Gaza war. Israel accuses Hamas, which retains security control of parts of Gaza not occupied by Israeli troops, of exploiting civilian infrastructure, saying the group stores weapons and runs command and control rooms in hospitals. Hamas denies this, and said Israel was spreading “false narratives” in a “blatant attempt to cover up a new war crime”.
Can the accounts be independently verified?
Israel does not allow international news organisations, including the BBC, into Gaza, making it difficult to verify what is happening in the territory. Israel has also said the UK consulate in Jerusalem is closing, while the UK has kept the building open. Footage filmed by a freelance journalist working for the BBC showed extensive damage to an operating theatre, wards and a sleeping area for medics, as well as hallways and lifts. News agencies also published photos that appeared to show an unexploded missile.
Frequently asked questions
How many people were killed in the strike on Nasser hospital?
The Hamas-run health ministry said six people were killed and about 30 injured when two missiles hit the al-Yasin surgery building at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis.
Did Israel warn the hospital before the strike?
The Israeli military said it issued advance warnings and released an audio recording of one given to a senior Gaza health official. Hospital director Dr Ahmed al-Fara insisted the hospital received no warning.
Where is Nasser hospital?
The Nasser Medical Complex is in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. It is the largest hospital in southern Gaza and serves almost one million people.
Who was Mohammed Abu Ismail?
The Israeli military named Mohammed Abu Ismail as the commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade and said he was the target of the strike on the hospital compound.
With reporting from BBC News.
Stock image, not from the events described. Globe World — Jo%E3o%20Silas / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)