Israeli Airstrike Hits Nasser Hospital in Southern Gaza, Killing Five

An Israeli airstrike struck the main surgical and intensive care building of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis early on Thursday morning, killing at least five people and injuring twenty others, according to local emergency authorities in the Gaza Strip. Eyewitnesses reported that a single missile launched from an aircraft hit the second floor of the medical facility, which is the largest hospital complex in southern Gaza.

Among those killed in the attack was a surgeon working in the unit, officials from the local civil defence agency stated. Footage published from the scene showed dense smoke rising from the upper levels of the facility, alongside destruction across the surgical wards and intensive care units. The director of the medical complex stated that the missile hit vertically, damaging both male and female care sections and destroying medical equipment and patient beds.

The Israel Defense Forces did not immediately issue a statement regarding the strike. Local reports and activist accounts in Gaza suggested the military action may have been aimed at a senior Hamas security official allegedly located within the building. Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of operating from medical infrastructure and utilizing health facilities for military operations, charges that the group denies.

The emergency recovery operations at the site were conducted by the local civil defence under the supervision of the Gaza interior ministry, with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross. Nasser Hospital was previously hit during an attack in August 2025 that killed at least twenty people, including medical staff and journalists. Military actions have persisted across the region despite a ceasefire agreement signed in October 2025, with both sides accusing each other of recurring violations.

Data from the Gaza health ministry indicates that more than 1,600 people have been killed in the territory since the October 2025 ceasefire agreement was established. UN agencies consider the casualty figures provided by the local health authorities to be reliable. The overall death toll in Gaza since the onset of the conflict on October 7, 2023, has exceeded 74,600, while displaced families in the region face severe conditions following recent heavy rainfall that flooded thousands of temporary shelters.

Written by Christiane Hofreiter christiane.hofreiter@alpineweekly.com