An Israeli airstrike on Nasser hospital in southern Gaza killed six people, including a surgeon and a disabled man, and wounded over 20 others, destroying part of the surgery department. Israel claimed to target Hamas fighters, without providing evidence, while the hospital was operating without warning.
An Israeli airstrike targeted Nasser hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, in the early hours of Thursday, resulting in six fatalities, including general surgeon Dr. Rizk Abu Shaira and a disabled patient, and injuring more than 20 others. The attack, which occurred around 12:30 am without warning, destroyed a section of the surgery department and caused extensive damage to multiple floors, leaving smoke-filled, rubble-strewn hallways. Dr. Ayman Abu Ubaid, a surgical specialist wounded in the strike, described chaos with numerous casualties and widespread blood. The Israeli military stated it struck a Hamas commander and other fighters within the hospital but provided no evidence. Dr. Rizk Abu Shaira, featured in the documentary 'American Doctor,' was among the dead. Another victim, 29-year-old Seif Ghazi Abu Hatab, was a patient awaiting surgery. Nasser hospital is one of the few remaining functional healthcare facilities in Gaza, with approximately 90% of the strip's health infrastructure reportedly destroyed or damaged. International humanitarian law prohibits attacks on healthcare facilities, though their protected status can be lost if used for military purposes, an accusation Israel has leveled against Hamas, which the militant group denies. Over 1,700 healthcare workers have been killed in Gaza since October 7, 2023, and UN experts have called the systematic destruction of health infrastructure 'medicide'.
