Israeli strike on Gaza hospital kills six Palestinians, health ministry says
🔎 Nguồn: Chính thống · khách quan, có nguồn
Original (en)
Israeli strike on Gaza hospital kills six Palestinians, health ministry says
Six people have been killed and about 30 injured in an Israeli air strike on Nasser hospital in the southern Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run health ministry says.
The hospital's director said two missiles hit a building containing surgical wards and intensive care units overnight, but that one of the missiles did not explode.
The health ministry said medical staff, patients and companions were killed, among them surgeon Dr Rizq Abu Shaira. It condemned the attack as a "flagrant violation of international laws and conventions".
The Israeli military said it targeted a commander of Hamas's armed wing and other fighters who had used the hospital as a "headquarters" to plan attacks on its forces.
Hamas said that Israel was spreading "false narratives" in a "blatant attempt to cover up a new war crime".
Under international law, hospitals have a protected status, but they have been repeatedly targeted during the Gaza war.
Israel accuses Hamas, which retains security control of parts of Gaza not occupied by Israeli troops, of cynically exploiting civilian infrastructure. It says the group stores weapons and runs command and control rooms in hospitals, which Hamas denies.
Israel does not allow international news organisations, including the BBC, into Gaza, making it difficult to verify what is happening in the territory.
Pictures showed extensive damage to an operating theatre, wards and a sleeping area for medics
The Nasser Medical Complex is located in the city of Khan Younis and is the largest hospital in southern Gaza, serving almost one million people.
In a video posted on social media, a paramedic from the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency who arrived at the building after the strike early on Thursday said a missile penetrated the five-storey structure and hit a room in the surgical department.
Other footage shared by activists showed thick smoke inside the building and extensive destruction on the second floor, where medical equipment and beds had been scattered by an explosion.
The hospital's director, Dr Ahmed al-Fara, later told a news conference that Israeli forces had fired two missiles at the al-Yasin surgery building but that only one exploded.
"What's happened in Nasser Medical Complex is targeting the health sector mainly. We are talking about doctors, we are talking about civilians, we are talking about patients," he said.
"Also, there is... huge damage [to] the infrastructure inside the hospital."
Footage filmed by a freelance journalist working for the BBC showed extensive damage to an operating theatre, wards and a sleeping area for medics, as well as hallways and lifts.
News agencies also published photos that appeared to show an unexploded missile.
Photographs appeared to show an unexploded missile inside Nasser hospital's surgical building
Dr Mohammed Qdeih, a general surgery specialist who was wounded in the head, said he and other medical staff had just finished work around 00:30 and had been preparing to go to sleep when there was an explosion.
"My whole body was trapped under the rubble. For a moment, I felt as if I was about to lose consciousness, or that I was about to die," he told the BBC.
"I started struggling to free myself and started calling out, 'Guys! Guys!' I began crawling, trying to pull my leg out from beneath the rubble. I managed to pull myself free. It was dark, there were no lights, nothing at all."
He said he had been lying in a bed near Dr Rizq Abu Shaira, who was killed. Another colleague suffered a broken leg.
"Dr Rizq was the kindest person in this department. He was very kind and always willing to help... And of course, he was a surgeon, one of the best among us."
He added: "Patients were killed as well. There were patients in the rooms next to us who were killed. A patient comes to the hospital seeking treatment and leaves carried on people's shoulders. I do not know what kind of humanity this is."
Gaza's health ministry said surgeon Dr Rizq Abu Shaira was among those killed
The Israeli military said in a statement that its "precise strike" had targeted the commander of Hamas's Khan Younis Brigade, who it named as Mohammed Abu Ismail, alongside other fighters who were "hiding inside" Nasser hospital.
"The terrorists were struck in order to remove the threat they posed after turning the Nasser hospital compound into a headquarters and operating from there to advance dozens of terrorist plots against our forces and restore the brigade's force," it alleged.
The military added that it had issued advance warnings before the strike and released an audio recording of what it said was one given to a senior Gaza health official. But Fara insisted the hospital had received no warning of an attack.
A Hamas statement rejected the Israeli military's accusations, calling them "a blatant attempt to justify a documented crime targeting a civilian medical facility whose function and purpose are well known".
"The nature of the targeted site and the casualties inflicted on patients, doctors and medical staff expose the falsity and weakness of this narrative," it said.
However, local activists circulated claims overnight that the strike may have targeted a senior Hamas security figure who was hiding inside the building.
Fara said this was the seventh time that Nasser hospital had been struck during the war. In August 2025, a double Israeli strike killed 22 Palestinians, including journalists and health workers.
Later on Thursday, two more Palestinians were reportedly killed in separate incidents in northern and central Gaza. Medics said one person was killed in an Israeli air strike on a car in Gaza City and that the second was killed by Israeli gunfire in Bureij refugee camp.
The Israeli military said it struck a "terrorist" in Deir al-Balah and another in Gaza City.
Israeli strikes on Gaza take place almost daily despite a US-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in October last year.
More than 1,620 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.
Israel says six of its soldiers have been killed in Gaza over the same period.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza also remains dire and has recently deteriorated further as a result of heavy rains last weekend that reportedly flooded tens of thousands of tents housing displaced families.
The Gaza war was triggered by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, when about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
Since then, more than 74,650 people have been killed in Gaza, the health ministry says.
Related topics
Four killed in Gaza after sand embankment collapses onto tents, health ministry says
Published 3 days ago
Board of Peace says Israel's aid response after Gaza floods 'insufficent'
Published 2 days ago
The video playlist
Watch our pick of standout clips from across the BBC
0:16 Carrick leaves Man Utd training ground after sacking. 00:00:16, play video Carrick leaves Man Utd training ground after sacking
0:38 Princess of Wales visits early years project. 00:00:38, play video Princess of Wales visits early years project
0:51 Four grizzly bears killed after fatal attack on mum and daughter. 00:00:51, play video Four grizzly bears killed after fatal attack on mum and daughter
1:09 Why are 50 world leaders meeting in Dublin? 00:01:09, play video Why are 50 world leaders meeting in Dublin?
0:59 Can Manchester United be fixed? 00:00:59, play video Can Manchester United be fixed?
1:16 Bodybuilder aged 78 has no plans to stop. 00:01:16, play video Bodybuilder aged 78 has no plans to stop
0:54 Which antidepressants are the most effective? 00:00:54, play video Which antidepressants are the most effective?
0:43 I'm a Celeb 2026 line-up revealed. 00:00:43, play video I'm a Celeb 2026 line-up revealed
1:05 Are branded cold and flu tablets really worth the extra money? 00:01:05, play video Are branded cold and flu tablets really worth the extra money?
0:30 Gochujang mince gnocchi. 00:00:30, play video Gochujang mince gnocchi
0:58 Who makes the decisions at Manchester United? 00:00:58, play video Who makes the decisions at Manchester United?
0:48 Temperatures to dip to -5C in parts of the UK. 00:00:48, play video Temperatures to dip to -5C in parts of the UK
0:49 How would you describe your ethnicity? 00:00:49, play video How would you describe your ethnicity?
0:44 More people stockpiling after UK 'Be Ready' campaign. 00:00:44, play video More people stockpiling after UK 'Be Ready' campaign
1:10 Man tackled by fast food worker after attempted theft. 00:01:10, play video Man tackled by fast food worker after attempted theft
1:31 Family say police 'failed miserably' after they left man to die in cell. 00:01:31, play video Family say police 'failed miserably' after they left man to die in cell
0:56 Workers across Spain stage first general strike in 14 years. 00:00:56, play video Workers across Spain stage first general strike in 14 years
0:50 Unis clamping down on use of AI in assessments. 00:00:50, play video Unis clamping down on use of AI in assessments
1:24 Vinicius Jr surprises fan in Sudan who lost legs in strike. 00:01:24, play video Vinicius Jr surprises fan in Sudan who lost legs in strike
Live. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang quits in wake of affair with suspected Chinese spy, as firm's stocks plunge
35579 viewing 36k viewing
Nvidia's CEO was the rock star of AI before his dramatic unravelling
Published 1 hour ago
Live. One killed and four injured in Washington DC shooting, as police say suspect 'contained'
18605 viewing 19k viewing
More to explore
Are max strength cold and flu pills worth the money?
'You're triggering me': How to understand your therapy-speak teen
Trying Tourette's device was the best day of my life
How much art does your council own and is it locked away or on display?
'Five years of Long Covid and my symptoms are worse'
I saved a stranger's life and my husband's at the same time
'How am I meant to plan anything?' The frustration of a seven-month driving test backlog
'My darling girl, you are everything to me' - auctioned letters reveal WWI love story
Elsewhere on the BBC
Fearless documentary-maker Philomena Cunk investigates cinema
Which portable heater gives the most heat for the lowest energy used?
The Highland Cops return to work in breathtaking landscapes
Who should replace Maya Jama on Love Island?
Most read
1. 1Teenage girl admits murder in row over boy
2. 2Faisal Islam: Why the UK economy is surprisingly resilient
3. 3Ukraine says military Starlink disrupted again as US envoys meet Putin in Moscow
4. 4'You're triggering me': How to understand your therapy-speak teen
5. 5Nvidia's CEO was the rock star of AI before his dramatic unravelling
6. 6Some under-25s should get fewer benefits, Milburn review to say
7. 7Schools, libraries and parents face 'difficult decision' over David Walliams books
8. 8Russell Brand's social media accounts disabled by Meta
9. 9Woman dies after being hit by van on Edinburgh City Bypass as man arrested
10. 10Drugs running was like 'a paper round' for exploited son, mum says