Israeli strike on Gaza hospital kills at least six people, officials say

Nov. 12, 2026, 4:26 AM EST / Updated Nov. 12, 2026, 4:34 AM EST

An Israeli airstrike on a hospital in southern Gaza overnight killed at least six people, the health ministry in the Palestinian enclave said Thursday.

The strike hit a surgery building at Nasser Hospital, with medical staff and patients among those killed, the health ministry said. The Israeli military said it was targeting a Hamas commander and other militants.

The strike — the latest despite an ongoing U.S.-backed ceasefire — shattered ceilings and left debris strewn across rooms inside the hospital, which is one of the few functioning medical facilities left in Gaza after the destruction of Israel’s yearslong assault.

Palestinian surgeon Dr. Rizk Abu Shaira was among those killed, the health ministry said. He was featured in the 2026 documentary “American Doctor,” which followed three American doctors helping to provide medical care in Gaza.

Watermelon Pictures, which distributed the film, said it was “devastating by the killing” of the surgeon. Its thoughts were with the surgeon’s loved ones and colleagues, the company said in a statement published on social media Thursday morning, as it condemned the attack “and the continued assault on Gaza’s healthcare system.”

The Israeli military and Israel Security Agency said they struck a senior Hamas member, along with other militants, who they said had “advanced” attacks from the hospital in the southern Gaza Strip overnight. In a later statement, they identified the senior member as Muhammad Abu Ismail, whom they said served as the commander of Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade and had also been responsible for holding hostages in Gaza.

The IDF and ISA said Hamas had “established a presence within the hospital complex and used it as a command center” and stored weapons and conducted interrogations and torture from within the medical complex. They shared photos of weapons alleged to have been found within the complex.

Hamas condemned the allegations that it was using the hospital for military operations as “lies of the criminal enemy” and called the attack a “war crime.”

The Israel Defense Forces and ISA said steps had been taken to “mitigate harm to civilians, including the use of precision munitions and aerial surveillance.” The IDF said it was looking into reports that medical workers, including Abu Shaira, and patients were killed.

Hospitals have protected status under international law, but they have been heavily targeted under Israel’s yearslong offensive in Gaza. The Israeli military has repeatedly accused Hamas of operating within medical facilities, a charge the militant group has denied.

The overnight attack was not the first time that Nasser Hospital itself has been targeted.

In August 2025, the hospital was hit by a double tap Israeli strike that killed at least 20 people, including journalists and health workers. The deadly attack sparked international outrage.

Of Gaza’s 37 hospitals, just 2 are considered to be “fully functioning,” while 18 are partially functioning and 17 are considered non-functioning after much of the enclave’s healthcare system was devastated under Israel’s offensive, according to data published by the World Health Organization.

Israeli strikes have continued in Gaza despite a ceasefire agreement reached in October of last year.

More than 1,600 people have been killed since the truce came into effect, according to the Palestinian health ministry in the enclave. Israel says four of its ⁠soldiers have ​been killed in that time.

Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violating the ceasefire.

More than 74,600 people, including thousands of children, have been killed overall in Gaza since Israel launched its offensive in the enclave following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, in which some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage.

The latest strikes come as Palestinians contend with heavy rains and desperate conditions in the enclave as the colder months set in, prompting a fresh wave of outcry over the lack of progress in advancing the peace deal between Israel and Hamas.