Agencies | Gaza:
At least six Palestinians, including a surgeon, were killed and around 20 others wounded in an Israeli air strike on the Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza in the early hours of Thursday, according to Gaza’s health authorities and civil defence officials.
The attack on the hospital, located west of Khan Younis, came amid continued Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip and growing humanitarian concerns following heavy rains that have flooded thousands of tents sheltering displaced Palestinians.
Nasser Medical Complex Director Raed al-Dahshan said a missile penetrated the hospital building vertically, passing through several floors and causing extensive damage. The surgery department and intensive care unit (ICU) were among the affected areas.
He expressed concern that the death toll could rise because of the severity of injuries.
Al Jazeera correspondent Hind Khoudary reported that most of those killed and wounded were patients, including people scheduled to undergo surgery the following day. Another Al Jazeera correspondent, Tareq Abu Azzoum, identified surgeon Rizk Abu Shaira among those killed.
Khoudary described Nasser Medical Complex as one of the largest hospitals in Gaza and the only hospital still functioning in Khan Younis, serving an estimated 500,000 people in southern Gaza. She said the facility had been struck seven times over the past couple of years.
The Israeli military claimed that the strike targeted a Hamas commander at the hospital.
Hamas condemned the attack, describing it as a “war crime” and accusing Israel of using claims about targeting its members to justify an attack on a civilian medical facility protected under international law. The group also called on mediators and the US administration to intervene and ensure compliance with the ceasefire.
Israel has continued carrying out attacks despite the ceasefire that came into effect in October 2025. Gaza’s Health Ministry says at least 1,600 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the agreement began.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement also accused the administration of US President Donald Trump of providing political and military cover for Israel, saying what it described as a policy of impunity was encouraging further attacks.
Gaza-based political analyst Ahmed al-Tanani said the strike on Nasser Medical Complex further undermined the prospects of recovery and normal life in the territory. He pointed to continued attacks, changes along the so-called Yellow Line and the latest strike on a hospital as indications of the deteriorating situation.
The hospital strike followed several other Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, which killed at least seven Palestinians, according to reports cited by Al Jazeera.
An Israeli air attack killed 38-year-old Mohammed Salem al-Daash in the Sabra neighbourhood, south of Gaza City. Another Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli forces east of Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, while a drone strike killed a person in the Nassr neighbourhood, northwest of Gaza City.
At least two Palestinians were also killed and several others wounded when a strike hit a tent sheltering displaced people in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, north of Gaza City.
Al Jazeera correspondent Hind Khoudary reported that civilians attempting to carry out routine activities had also been caught in the attacks. She cited the killing of a man filling a water tank in a drone strike and two brothers from the al-Absi family who were killed while sheltering in a tent on al-Jalaa Street.
The latest attacks came as the United Nations stepped up its appeal for waterproof tents and emergency assistance for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians exposed to flooding following heavy rains.
According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, at least 70,000 tents were flooded during weekend rainfall. The UN children’s agency, UNICEF, said the heavy rains had directly affected at least 106,000 people in recent days, with thousands of tents submerged and sanitation facilities overflowing into displacement camps.
Humanitarian organisations have warned that they lack the resources and capacity to respond adequately to the worsening conditions, while restrictions on the entry of essential supplies continue to hamper relief efforts.
UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said Israel’s cooperation was necessary to secure permission for the delivery of tents and other emergency supplies.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher criticised delays in the delivery of winter assistance, saying some countries had indicated that supplies would have to wait until after Israeli elections and the formation of a new government.
“This is not an acceptable excuse,” Fletcher said, stressing the consequences of delays, restrictions and funding cuts on civilians in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced that Rome had launched a new emergency initiative worth five million euros to provide immediate assistance to the Gaza Strip following the floods.
According to figures released by Gaza’s Health Ministry, the Palestinian death toll since the start of Israel’s military campaign on October 7, 2023, has reached 74,653, while 176,007 people have been injured. The ministry further reported that more than 5,878 people had been injured since the ceasefire came into effect in October 2025.
