Summary
- Gaza's health ministry says the strike killed six Palestinians and wounded 28 others.
- Witnesses reported the missile hit a building housing surgical wards and intensive care units.
- Nasser Hospital is the largest medical facility in southern Gaza.
The strike hit Nasser Hospital, the main referral center for southern Gaza, directly damaging units that treat the most critically ill patients. Health ministry officials said six people died and at least 28 were wounded, though casualty figures from the territory have not been independently verified. Witnesses described the missile striking a section of the complex containing both surgical theaters and intensive care beds, areas typically housing patients unable to be moved quickly.
The attack adds to a long list of incidents in which hospitals in Gaza have come under fire during the conflict, episodes that have repeatedly drawn condemnation from international medical organizations and human rights monitors over the targeting or collateral damage to protected medical sites. Israel has in past cases defended such strikes by alleging militant use of hospital grounds, though no such justification was cited in the immediate reporting of this incident.
Hospitals in Gaza have operated under severe strain for an extended period, with shortages of fuel, medicine and staff compounding the impact of direct damage from strikes. A hit on a facility the size of Nasser Hospital threatens to further reduce already limited capacity for emergency and critical care across the south of the territory, where many smaller clinics have already been knocked out of service or destroyed.
The incident is likely to intensify international scrutiny of the conduct of military operations in Gaza and calls for protection of medical infrastructure. Humanitarian agencies have repeatedly warned that the erosion of hospital capacity leaves civilians with few options for treatment of both conflict-related injuries and routine medical needs, including maternity care and treatment of chronic illness.
No immediate statement from the Israeli military was included in the available reporting addressing the circumstances of the strike or whether it was under review. The scale of damage to Nasser Hospital's surgical and ICU capacity was not yet fully detailed, and the toll of six dead and 28 wounded could shift as rescue and medical teams continue assessing the site.