Six, including a surgeon, killed in Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital in Gaza

An Israeli airstrike on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital on Wednesday night killed six people, injured 27 others and caused extensive damage. An Israeli airstrike on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital on Wednesday night killed six people, injured 27 others and caused extensive damage. Ramiz Alakbarov, Acting UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said on Thursday said he was deeply alarmed by the attack.” The strike hit the hospital’s surgical department.

A medical worker, patients and their companions were among the dead, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). “The ongoing violence and recent increase in military operations exacerbate the immense human suffering in Gaza and jeopardize the increasingly fragile ceasefire,” Alakbarov said. 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.

A 13-year-old boy was among the dead. An array of munitions debris was displayed at the hospital site as media visited on Thursday. Two munitions experts said an image supplied to NBC News appeared to show debris from a GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb. Brian Castner, a crisis researcher at Amnesty International, also identified the munitions as belonging to a GBU-39, adding that Israel has used the bomb “in many strikes in Gaza.” Israel is notoriously famous for targeting medical centers, especially in Gaza.

On December 17, 2023, Israel hit the maternity ward at Nasser Hospital, killing a 13-year-old girl and injuring others. Also, on February 14–15, 2024, Israeli forces shelled the hospital's orthopedic department, killing one person and injuring eight, according to MSF. The Wednesday strike came as families are struggling with the aftermath of heavy storms that battered Gaza last weekend, causing widespread flooding and a deadly sand dune collapse.

An estimated 65 percent of Gaza’s population, some 1.4 million people, live in tents or makeshift shelters, according to the UN aid coordination office (OCHA). Reports indicate that a nine-month-old baby has died of the cold following days of heavy rain and flooding. Across Gaza, families are exposed to standing water contaminated with sewage, while available pumps, sandbags and other equipment fall short of needs. Essential laboratory supplies and medical equipment also continue to be denied entry, hampering the detection of disease outbreaks – a risk that grows significantly in winter.