The key facts

  • The strike on the second floor of the Al-Yassin building in the Nasser complex killed at least six people, including surgeon Rizk Abu Sharia, and wounded about 20
  • Israel, without presenting evidence, claimed that a Hamas command centre led by Muhammad Abu Ismail was operating in the hospital
  • The death toll since the ceasefire began in October 2025 exceeds 1,600, according to Gaza's authorities

Strike on the surgical department

In the early hours of Thursday, an Israeli airstrike hit the surgical department on the second floor of the Al-Yassin building inside the Nasser medical complex in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip. According to Gaza's civil defence, cited by The National, at least six people were killed, including a surgeon, and about 20 were wounded. as cited by The National, at least six people were killed, including a surgeon, and about 20 were wounded. Anadolu reports four dead at the time of its report; the outlets published at different times, and the final figures differ. The hospital director said the strike caused extensive damage to the intensive care and surgery departments.

Who was killed and what Israel says

The surgeon who was killed, according to medics cited by Reuters, was Dr Rizk Abu Sharia; Gaza's health ministry names him as Rizq Abu Sharia and confirms six dead. Photographs from the hospital show collapsed ceilings, severed cables and rubble in the rooms. The Israeli army said the target of the strike was senior Hamas member Muhammad Abu Ismail, who, according to its account, together with other militants ran a command centre inside the hospital and was responsible for attacks, holding hostages and storing weapons. The army provided no evidence. Hamas called the strike 'a full-scale war crime.' Under international humanitarian law, hospitals are protected but may lose that protection if used for military purposes — whether such use took place remains a matter of dispute.

Context: ceasefire under strain

The strike came against the backdrop of a series of attacks on Tuesday, when, according to medics and the Wafa agency, at least seven Palestinians were killed, including a father and his 13-year-old son, Fadi Rajab and Abubakr, who died in a strike on the roof of a shelter for displaced people in the Zeitoun district of Gaza City. The Israeli army said it was striking militants in Zeitoun and Daraj and did not comment on the other attacks. The ceasefire agreement, brokered by the United States and in force since October 2025, envisaged the reconstruction of Gaza, but talks have stalled over Hamas's disarmament and the withdrawal of Israeli troops; Israel controls about two-thirds of the territory. According to Gaza's health authorities, at least 1,600 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire began; Israel says four soldiers were killed over the same period. The overall death toll in Gaza since October 2023 exceeds 74,000, according to Gaza's health ministry, whose figures the international community generally regards as reliable; more than 1.6 million of the 2.1 million residents live in tents and temporary shelters.