An Israeli airstrike on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza killed at least six people, including a doctor and a 13-year-old boy awaiting surgery. Around 40 others were injured, including two doctors in critical condition.
BY PC BUREAU
November 12-An overnight Israeli airstrike on a hospital in southern Gaza has killed at least six people, including a doctor and a 13-year-old boy awaiting surgery, according to Palestinian health and civil defence officials. The attack on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis also injured around 40 people, further damaging an already devastated healthcare system in the Palestinian territory.
The strike, which took place shortly after midnight on Wednesday, hit the hospital’s surgery unit, Gaza Civil Defense spokesman Ezz Eddine Abu Sabha said. The explosion ripped through part of the complex, leaving the surgical facility in ruins and debris scattered across the area.
Among those killed was 52-year-old Dr Rizk Abu Shaira. A 13-year-old boy who was due to undergo surgery also died in the attack, Abu Sabha said.
Around 40 people were injured, including two doctors who were reported to be in critical condition.
Dr Munir Al-Bursh, director-general of Gaza’s Health Ministry, condemned the attack in a Facebook post, questioning where civilians could seek refuge as hospitals, shelters and other civilian facilities came under attack.
“People of the world… where can the people of Gaza go?” he wrote, describing the worsening conditions faced by displaced families amid flooding, collapsing structures and continued bombardment.
“Gaza does not ask the world to count its dead… It demands protection for those still alive,” he added.
Footage from inside the hospital showed two bombs, one of which reportedly failed to explode. A label visible on the unexploded munition identified it as a US-manufactured GBU-39/B, a 250-pound precision-guided bomb supplied to Israel.
An elderly patient, Atiya Abu Basir, described the moment the explosion struck.
Aftermath of ISRAELI STRIKE on Nasser Hospital in Gaza
At least SIX KILLED, including medics and patients https://t.co/XKhIuCZbZI
— RT Intl (@RT_on_X) November 12, 2026
“I was asleep when suddenly I was covered with dust and glass,” he said. “I couldn’t walk because I just had surgery.”
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Ceasefire Under Growing Strain
The latest attack has intensified questions about the effectiveness of the US-brokered ceasefire, which has formally remained in place for more than a year despite continued Israeli military operations in Gaza.
According to the United Nations, Israeli forces have killed more than 1,400 Palestinians in the territory since the ceasefire began. The enclave’s healthcare infrastructure remains severely damaged, with no fully functioning hospital available to serve its population.
Maryam Abu Hatab, whose brother was killed in the latest strike, questioned the meaning of the ceasefire.
“They say there is a ceasefire. Where is there a ceasefire? Since the ceasefire, there are more massacres,” she said, alleging that civilians were being killed regularly in markets, universities and on streets.
In a statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the strike targeted Muhammad Abu Ismail, identified as the commander of Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade, along with other militants allegedly sheltering inside Nasser Hospital.
The Israeli military accused Abu Ismail of planning and advancing attacks against Israeli forces and civilians.
It was not immediately clear whether Abu Ismail was killed in the strike. Questions also remained over what precautions the military had taken to protect patients, medical personnel and other civilians inside the hospital.
US-Led Board of Peace Criticises Israel
The hospital strike comes amid growing international concern over conditions in Gaza, where nearly two million Palestinians remain displaced.
Earlier this week, the US-led Board of Peace, tasked with overseeing the ceasefire, criticised Israel’s response to widespread flooding caused by seasonal rains. Tens of thousands of displacement tents have been inundated, leaving families exposed to worsening winter conditions.
In a statement on Monday, the board said the rapid entry and distribution of shelter materials, sanitation equipment, drainage supplies and other winter essentials were essential to protecting civilians.
It also called on Israel to permit additional temporary shelters, waste-management facilities and other humanitarian supplies to enter the territory.
Israel said more than 91,000 tents had entered Gaza ahead of winter. However, it has refused to allow heavy equipment needed for large-scale debris clearance, reconstruction and rubble removal.
Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories said reconstruction could begin only after Hamas fully disarmed.
The continuing restrictions on reconstruction and humanitarian supplies, combined with renewed military strikes, have left Gaza’s displaced population facing another winter amid widespread destruction and deteriorating living conditions.
