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, including a surgeon and a 13-year-old boy, health officials 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 wards inside the hospital, which is one of the few functioning medical facilities left in Gaza after the destruction of Israel’s yearslong military 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 and condemned the attack.
“Dr. Rizq was at the hospital during the entire war. He was rescuing the wounded, the patients. He didn’t abandon his duties for even one day,” Dr. Mohammed Zaqout, director general of the Health Ministry in Gaza, could be seen telling a crowd of mourners, surrounding a body covered in a shroud, in a video captured for NBC News on Thursday.
“He is one of the best doctors,” Zaqout said. “He was always proud to save lives.”
Nasser Hospital said a 13-year-old boy, identified as Jihad Naeem Muhammad Abu Tilikh, was also killed.
The Israeli military and the 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, who 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.
One woman, Tahani Ibrahim Abu Anza, said her brother, Khaled Abu Anza, was killed in the strike, with Nasser Hospital separately confirming his death.
A number of media outlets, including Israeli media outlet Ynet , reported that a commander in Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade of that same name was killed in the strike. Asked to confirm that and whether he was directly targeted, the IDF said it would get back on the matter.
Tahani Ibrahim Abu Anza did not directly identify her brother, 53, as a Hamas member, but said she believed he was targeted. He had been at the hospital for physical therapy after undergoing surgery, she said.
“He did not come to the hospital to engage in combat or resistance. He came for medical treatment,” she said.
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 IDF 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 strik e that killed at least 20 people, including journalists and health workers. The deadly attack sparked international outrage.
Of Gaza’s 37 hospitals, just two are considered to be “fully functioning,” while 18 are partially functioning and 17 are considered nonfunctioning 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.
In a statement, Medical Aid for Palestinians, which supports several departments at Nasser Hospital, said the overnight attack was “yet another indication that the so-called ‘ceasefire’ has brought neither safety nor an end to Israel’s attacks on Gaza’s healthcare system.”
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.
Chantal Da Silva reports on world news for NBC News Digital and is based in London.