Daijiworld Media Network - Gaza
Gaza, Nov 12: At least five Palestinians were killed and 20 others injured after an Israeli airstrike hit a building at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza early on Thursday, according to an official from the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency.
Eyewitnesses said a missile fired from a warplane struck a building housing the hospital’s surgical wards and intensive care units. A surgeon was among those reportedly killed in the attack. Civil Defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal earlier told AFP that six people had died.
The Israeli military has not issued an immediate response. The BBC said it had contacted the Israel Defense Forces for comment. The broadcaster also noted that it is unable to report independently from inside Gaza and could not verify the details of the incident.
The director of Nasser Medical Complex said the building was hit in a vertical strike, causing extensive damage to the intensive care and surgical departments for both men and women.
Videos circulated by activists showed thick smoke inside the building and significant destruction on the second floor, with medical equipment and beds scattered by the blast. Local activists also claimed that the strike may have targeted a senior Hamas security figure allegedly hiding inside the building. This claim has not been independently verified.
Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas of using hospitals for military purposes, an allegation denied by the group. Nasser Hospital, the largest medical facility in southern Gaza, was also hit in a double Israeli strike in August 2025, in which at least 20 people, including journalists and health workers, were killed.
Israeli strikes have continued despite a ceasefire agreement reached in October last year. More than 1,600 people have been killed since the ceasefire began, according to Gaza's Hamas-run Health Ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations. Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the agreement.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza has also worsened following heavy rains that reportedly flooded tens of thousands of tents sheltering displaced families.
The war began after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 others taken hostage. Since then, more than 74,645 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory's Health Ministry.