Israeli strike on a Gaza hospital kills 6 people, health authorities say
[November 12, 2026]
By ABDEL KAREEM HANA and TOQA EZZIDIN
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli airstrike targeting the Nasser
Hospital in southern Gaza killed six people, including a general
surgeon, and wounded at least 28 more, Gaza's Health Ministry said.
The strike was carried out early Thursday, according to the Israeli
military, which said it struck a Hamas commander and other militants,
without providing evidence.
The Gaza Health Ministry said the strike hit the hospital’s surgical
wing and that a doctor, Rizk Abu Shaira, was among the dead. Inside the
building, parts of several floors were either severely damaged or
destroyed. Debris was scattered across hospital beds and equipment, and
rebar dangled from the ceiling where the munition had penetrated.
British surgeon Goher Rahbour, who is volunteering at Nasser Hospital,
said that the strike occurred just after midnight and shook the whole
building.
“It was extremely smoky,” said Rahbour, who was on the fourth floor of
the surgical department when the bomb hit. The recovery area on the same
floor was reduced to rubble, he said.
He said he had been operating alongside Abu Shaira just hours before the
strike. “Lovely guy, happy and smiling,” he said.
Nasser Hospital in the city of Khan Younis is one of the few functioning
medical facilities left in Gaza, whose healthcare infrastructure has
been decimated by a yearslong war.
The Israeli military has raided or laid siege to hospitals across Gaza,
accusing Hamas of using them as command centers and to hide fighters. It
has also destroyed medical equipment and supplies and killed or detained
hundreds of healthcare workers.
In armed conflict, hospitals and their staff are protected under
international humanitarian law. A hospital can lose its protected
status, however, if it is used for military purposes.
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People walk at Nasser Hospital after it was hit by an Israeli
airstrike overnight in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Thursday, Nov. 12,
2026. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
In a statement on Thursday, the military said Hamas had “established
a presence within the hospital complex” and that the commander had
turned it “into a headquarters.”
Israeli forces have previously attacked Nasser Hospital. In 2025,
the military killed five journalists — including AP contributor
Mariam Dagga — when it struck a gathering point for local reporters
at the complex.
The war in Gaza started on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants
attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251
others hostage. Since then, Israel’s retaliatory offensive has
killed more than 74,600 people, according to the Gaza Health
Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-run government but whose
figures are generally considered reliable by the international
community.
Israel has continued to strike Gaza despite a U.S.-backed ceasefire
and controls at least 60% of the enclave. Since the truce went into
effect in October 2025, Israeli strikes and gunfire have killed
1,622 people, health authorities say. Five Israeli soldiers have
also been killed during that period.
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Ezzidin reported from Cairo.
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