Israeli strike on a Gaza hospital kills 6 people, health authorities say

CAIRO (AP) — An Israeli airstrike targeting the Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza killed six people and wounded at least a dozen more, Gaza's Health Ministry said. The strike was carried out early Thursday, according to the Israeli military, which said it struck “a senior Hamas terrorist” and other militants, without providing evidence. The Gaza Health Ministry said the strike hit the hospital’s surgical wing and that a doctor was among the dead.

An Associated Press journalist at the scene said that parts of the building’s second floor were destroyed. 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. Israel accuses Hamas and its allies of using hospitals as cover for military activity. In a statement, the Israeli military said Hamas had “established a presence within the hospital complex” and was using it as “a command center for military and terrorist activities.”

Israeli forces have previously attacked and raided 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 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.