KHAN YOUNIS, Palestinian Territories – An Israeli airstrike on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza killed at least six Palestinians, including a surgeon and a 13-year-old boy, and wounded dozens of others, according to Gaza health officials and medical organisations. The attack struck the hospital’s surgical building shortly after midnight on Thursday, November 12, damaging operating rooms and other medical facilities.
The Israeli military said it had targeted Muhammad Abu Ismail, whom it identified as the commander of Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade, along with other militants allegedly operating inside the hospital complex. The military did not confirm whether the commander was killed.
Surgeon and child among those killed
Gaza health authorities identified the surgeon killed in the attack as Dr. Rizk Abu Shaira, who was working at the hospital when the strike hit. A 13-year-old boy was also among the dead.
The attack struck the building housing the hospital’s surgery department in Khan Younis. Medical personnel and witnesses described extensive destruction inside the facility, including damaged operating rooms, patient wards and medical equipment.
Reports on the number of wounded varied. The Associated Press reported at least 28 injured people, while other accounts cited figures of approximately 20 to more than 50. The differing totals had not been reconciled in the available reporting.
Israel says it targeted Hamas commander
The Israel Defense Forces said the operation targeted Abu Ismail and additional Hamas members allegedly hiding inside Nasser Hospital.
The military accused Hamas of using the hospital complex as a headquarters and for military activities. Hamas rejected the allegation that it was using the medical facility as an operational base. The Israeli military did not publicly provide evidence in the statements reported after the strike to substantiate its claims.
The competing accounts leave questions about the alleged military presence at the hospital unresolved. The available information also does not establish whether the intended target was among those killed.
Hospital suspends critical medical services
The strike heavily damaged the surgical wing, forcing the suspension of operations and affecting other hospital departments, including radiology and laboratory services.
Nasser Medical Complex is a major referral facility for southern Gaza, providing emergency treatment, surgery and specialist care. Its disruption adds pressure to a healthcare system already operating with severe shortages of medical supplies and limited functioning facilities.
Doctors Without Borders, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières, said the attack killed six people, including a surgeon and a child, and injured 52 others. The organisation said no warning was given before the strike and stressed that damage to the hospital would deprive civilians of essential medical services.
Hospital protection and competing claims
Hospitals and medical personnel receive special protection under international humanitarian law. That protection can be affected if a medical facility is used for acts harmful to the enemy outside its humanitarian function, subject to legal conditions and safeguards.
The Israeli military’s allegation that Hamas operated from the complex and the accounts from hospital personnel therefore remain important to any assessment of the circumstances. The available reports do not establish an independent finding that the hospital had lost its protected status or that the strike complied with the applicable legal requirements.
The attack occurred despite a ceasefire that took effect in October 2025. Israeli strikes and other violence have continued in Gaza since the agreement, with Palestinian health authorities reporting further deaths.
The immediate consequences of the strike include the deaths of patients and medical personnel and the loss of surgical capacity at one of southern Gaza’s major hospitals. The full extent of the damage and the circumstances surrounding the attack remain subjects of scrutiny.
Primary Sources: Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, statements on the November 12, 2026, strike at Nasser Medical Complex, identifying six fatalities, including a physician and a school-age child, and describing damage to the surgery department; the statements were reported by the Qatar News Agency and other contemporaneous sources, but the original ministry release was not independently retrieved. Israel Defense Forces, November 12, 2026, public statement identifying Muhammad Abu Ismail as the intended target and alleging that Hamas members were operating from the hospital complex; the original statement was not independently retrieved, and its claims are attributed to the military rather than treated as independently established facts. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières, November 12, 2026, statement condemning the strike and reporting six deaths and 52 injuries, including damage to the hospital’s surgical building.
