Airstrike Hits Surgical Department at Southern Gaza's Nasser Hospital
A medical worker surveys the heavily damaged interior of the surgical department at Nasser Hospital following Thursday's airstrike.
An early Thursday airstrike struck a building housing surgical and intensive care units at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. Reports differ slightly on the casualties, with local authorities stating between five and six people were killed alongside dozens injured. The Israeli military maintained the strike targeted militants operating within the medical facility, while local medical and civil defense officials condemned the impact on functioning health infrastructure.
- WhenEarly Thursday
- WhereNasser Hospital, Khan Younis, southern Gaza
- Who was involvedIsraeli military, Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, Civil Defence agency
- Casualties5 to 6 killed, at least 12 to 20 wounded
- CauseAirstrike hitting the hospital's surgery department and intensive care units
- StatusOngoing conflict and humanitarian crisis
Photos
4 photosWhat happened
An Israeli airstrike struck a building at the Nasser Hospital complex in Khan Younis, hitting areas that house the facility's surgical wards and intensive care units. Eyewitnesses reported that a single missile was fired from a warplane that briefly flew over the area.
The strike caused extensive destruction to the second floor of the building, scattering medical equipment and beds amid thick smoke and heavy debris. The director of the Nasser Medical Complex noted that the vertical strike extensively damaged departments serving both male and female patients.
Civil defence personnel inspect the extensive structural damage inside the hospital building.
How it unfolded
The attack occurred early Thursday morning, catching medical personnel and patients inside one of the few remaining functioning medical facilities in Gaza. Following the blast, civil defense workers and medical staff initiated recovery and rescue operations amid the rubble of the damaged surgical department.
The Israeli military stated that it carried out the strike targeting a senior Hamas member and other militants operating within the hospital. Conversely, local civil defence and health officials emphasized the severe toll on medical infrastructure and civilian lives.
A displaced person stands near flooded and damaged tents in Gaza, where severe weather has worsened the humanitarian crisis.
The people involved
Reports on the death toll varied slightly between agencies at the scene: Gaza's Health Ministry reported six deaths, while an official from the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency told reporters that at least five Palestinians were killed. A doctor or surgeon was confirmed to be among the deceased.
At least a dozen to twenty other people were wounded in the blast. The incident involved responses from local civil defence crews and medical personnel operating within the hospital complex.
Response and aftermath
The Israeli military defended the operation through a joint statement by the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency, asserting that the hospital was being used as a command center for military and terrorist activities. They added that precision munitions and aerial surveillance were used to mitigate civilian harm.
Local authorities and international observers have frequently raised concerns over the protection of medical facilities during the ongoing war. The humanitarian situation in the surrounding area has faced further compounding crises, including recent heavy rains that flooded tents housing displaced families across Gaza.
What we still don't know
Exact verification of the operational details remains challenging, as international media outlets face restrictions preventing independent reporting from inside the Gaza Strip.
Specific identities of all the victims outside of the reported doctor have not been fully detailed, and the exact identity or status of the targeted individual mentioned by military and local sources has not been independently verified.