Gaza Hospital Strike Claims Surgeon and Five Others in Early Morning Attack

An Israeli air strike on a hospital in the southern Gaza Strip resulted in the deaths of at least six Palestinians, including a surgeon, and left approximately 20 others injured early Thursday. According to Gaza Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal, the strike targeted the surgery department on the second floor of the Al Yasin building within Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, causing significant damage. The Israeli military has not yet issued a comment on the incident. The surgeon was identified as Dr. Rezik Abushira by medics speaking to Reuters. Reuters published images from the scene depicting collapsed ceilings, exposed wiring, and debris scattered throughout damaged rooms.

These fatalities follow a series of Israeli attacks across Gaza on Tuesday that claimed the lives of at least seven Palestinians. Among the deceased were a father and his 13-year-old son, Fadi Rajab and Abubakr, who were killed when an Israeli air strike hit the roof of a displacement shelter in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City. Another Palestinian died in a strike in Gaza City’s Daraj neighborhood, which medics reported hit near a school and media outlets stated struck the Ghubain family home. Later on Tuesday, three more Palestinians were killed in an air strike on a metal foundry in the Sabra neighborhood, and one man died from Israeli gunfire in Khan Younis, according to medics and the Palestinian news agency Wafa. The Israeli military confirmed striking militants in Zeitoun and Daraj but provided no further details, and did not comment on the other attacks.

The recent violence occurs amidst ongoing disagreements regarding a US-brokered ceasefire that commenced in October 2025, which also outlined plans for the eventual reconstruction of Gaza. Negotiations have stalled due to disputes over Hamas’s disarmament and an Israeli military withdrawal. Israel currently controls roughly two-thirds of the territory, with residents instructed to evacuate areas under its control. Gaza health officials report that at least 1,600 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire began. Israel states that four of its soldiers have been killed during the same period. Palestinian authorities indicate that over 74,000 Palestinians have lost their lives since Israel’s military offensive commenced in October 2023, following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that resulted in approximately 1,200 fatalities.