Doctor, Child Among Six Killed in Israeli Strike on Gaza's Nasser Hospital

A hospital staff member surveys the damage inside Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza, following an Israeli airstrike on Thursday. The strike on Nasser Hospital, which occurred overnight Wednesday, resulted in the deaths of at least six people, including a doctor and a child, according to Palestinian officials. Gaza Civil Defense spokesman Ezz Eddine Abu Sabha reported that the strike hit the complex’s surgery unit shortly after midnight, tearing through the facility and scattering charred debris. Among the deceased was 52-year-old Dr. Rizk Abu Shaira, and a 13-year-old boy who was awaiting surgery. The attack also left 40 people injured, with two doctors in critical condition.

Maryam Abu Hatab, whose brother was killed in the strike, expressed her anguish: “They say there is a ceasefire. Where is there a ceasefire? Since the ceasefire, there are more massacres. There are massacres every day in markets, in universities, in the streets. The donkey carts stood by us more than the world’s countries.”

Footage from the scene revealed two bombs, one of which was identified as a US-manufactured GBU-39/B, a 250-pound bomb supplied to Israel. Munition fragments and an unexploded bomb were found at the hospital. Atiya Abu Basir, an elderly patient who had recently undergone surgery, described the terrifying experience: “I was asleep when suddenly I was covered with dust and glass. I couldn’t walk because I just had surgery.”

Despite a nominal US-brokered ceasefire in place for over a year, Israeli forces have continued near-daily strikes in Gaza. The United Nations reports that Israeli forces have killed more than 1,400 people in Gaza since the ceasefire, and the enclave lacks fully functioning hospitals.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that they targeted Muhammad Abu Ismail, the commander of Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade, and “additional terrorists who were hiding inside the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis,” alleging he planned attacks on Israeli forces and civilians. CNN has reached out to the IDF for comment on whether Abu Ismail was killed and what measures were taken to protect civilians.

In related news, the US-led Board of Peace had earlier this week criticized Israel for an “insufficient” response to Gaza flooding. Seasonal rains had inundated tens of thousands of tents housing nearly two million displaced Palestinians. The board emphasized the critical need for shelter, sanitation, and winterization supplies and urged Israel to permit more temporary shelters and waste management resources. Israel indicated that over 91,000 tents had entered Gaza for winter but refused to allow heavy equipment for cleanup and rubble removal. Israel’s Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories stated that Gaza’s reconstruction could only commence after Hamas disarms.