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Surgeon films damage in Nasser hospital in Gaza
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.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said it had documented a total of 1,056 attacks on healthcare in Gaza over the past three years, resulting in 1,010 deaths.
"Gaza's health facilities are lifelines for its people. They must be protected. They must never be militarized or attacked," warned Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the UN agency's director general.
Later on Thursday, at least four more Palestinians were reportedly killed in separate incidents in northern and central Gaza.
Medics said three were killed in Israeli air strikes in Gaza City, Jabalia and Deir al-Balah, while the fourth 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.
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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.
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Israeli forces carried out a raid in the Old City of Nablus, near Burqa, on Sunday
Israeli forces have shot dead a 14-year-old Palestinian boy during an operation in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials say.
Moataz Daghlas was killed on Monday evening in the village of Burqa, north-west of Nablus, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
The Israeli military said soldiers identified "several terrorists who intended to hurl stones" in an area where stones had previously been thrown at Israeli vehicles. The soldiers fired towards them "to remove the threat", it added.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said its teams treated two people with gunshot wounds, but that Israeli forces blocked their access to a third wounded person and detained three volunteer paramedics.
Moataz Daghlas's relatives said Israeli authorities were withholding his body.
Meanwhile, Palestinian news agency Wafa identified the two Palestinians wounded during the raid as a 17-year-old child, who it said was shot in the abdomen and pelvis, and a 19-year-old man, who was shot in the hand.
According to the UN, at least 98 Palestinians, including 22 children, have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank since the start of the year.
Six Israelis, both security forces and civilians, have been killed by Palestinians in the West Bank over the same period, it says.
The rules of engagement for Israeli forces were reportedly broadened after the deadly Hamas-led attacks on Israel on 7 October 2023, allowing soldiers increased discretion to use lethal force against a perceived threat.
In June, the UN Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territory said it had verified the killing of 241 Palestinian children by Israeli security forces and settlers in the West Bank since then.
Most of the children were teenage boys and, in many cases, Israeli authorities accused them of having engaged in stone-throwing as justification, it found.
The UN office said its assessment was that none of the children killed while involved in confrontations with Israeli forces had posed an imminent threat to life, which it said was the only legal justification for the use of lethal force in the West Bank under international law.
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The embankment collapsed a day after heavy rain flooded tens of thousands of tents across Gaza
Three children and one woman were killed when a sand embankment collapsed onto tents in central Gaza following heavy rain, the Hamas-run health ministry says.
Five injured people were also reportedly rescued after the incident on Sunday night at a camp for displaced families south of Deir al-Balah.
Videos showed men using phone torches to search for survivors beneath boulders, sand and collapsed tents.
The Civil Defence service, which operates under the Hamas-run interior ministry, said the "humanitarian tragedy" should prompt urgent action by international organisations to provide safe shelters for displaced people and move tents away from sandy areas, slopes and locations at risk of collapse.
Torrential rain on Saturday reportedly flooded tens of thousands of tents across Gaza, leaving many Palestinians without a dry place to sleep.
The Civil Defence said water levels reached up to 1.5m (4.9ft) in some places and that its first responders were able to respond to only 10% of the 2,100 distress calls they received.
"Protecting the lives of displaced people is an urgent humanitarian responsibility. Their tents must not become death traps beneath sand and rainwater," it warned.
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The Civil Defence initially reported on Sunday that three children and two women were killed when the sand embankment collapsed. But the health ministry said on Monday morning that only one woman was among the dead.
She was identified as Tahrir Nabhan, while the children were named as Mariam Nabhan and her brother Salah, and Habiba al-Zein.
Mustafa al-Masri told the BBC that he and other rescuers had used their bare hands to dig the victims and survivors out of the sand and rubble.
"It was extremely difficult. This mound was huge and wide. It collapsed onto the tent, and we didn't know what to do," he said.
"When we got here, we, along with the young men from the camp, pulled them out with our own hands. We pulled out the children and the woman."
"Their father arrived shouting, 'My children, my children, my children, my children.' We pulled his children out, put them in the ambulance, and took them to the hospital."
Masri added that he had been displaced from the northern town of Beit Hanoun but had stayed in central Gaza because there was "nowhere for me to return to".
"We went out looking around, searching through the open areas and hills, but I couldn't find any place other than this area that felt suitable for me."
The rescue operation was made more difficult by the lack of heavy machinery
The International Organization for Migration's regional crisis co-ordinator, Karl Baker, told the BBC from Gaza that the territory's 2.1 million population was confined to only 30% of its total area and that many people were "unfortunately living in areas which would not be normal if we were not in this time of conflict".
He said the UN agency and its partners were trying to make sure there were enough tents and tarpaulins, as well as improved drainage in camps, to help them get through the winter.
However, he warned that aid currently getting into Gaza was not sufficient to meet the demands of the population, describing it as "the very smallest of Band-Aids [plasters]".
"We need more support, in-kind donations. We need funding in order to help the communities to help themselves," he said. "We need a lot more to happen."
UN agencies have called on Israeli authorities to allow in the specialist equipment and materials required to improve living conditions for displaced families.
Cogat, the Israeli military body tasked with co-ordinating deliveries, said on Sunday that more than 91,000 tents, 12 vacuum trucks for waste removal, and fuel and engine oil for pumping facilities have been delivered since the start of the "Gaza Winterization Plan".
But it added that Israel would not permit the entry of equipment that could be used for military purposes by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups.
An estimated 80% of all structures in Gaza have been destroyed or damaged during the war between Israel and Hamas, according to the UN.
More than 1.9 million people have been displaced, many of them multiple times, and 1.2 million of them are currently living in tents or makeshift shelters, it says.
The UN has warned that the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire despite the ceasefire agreed in October 2025, as Israeli air strikes and other attacks continue to hit populated areas, causing casualties and property damage and driving further displacement.
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 74,640 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory's health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the UN.
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