IDF says Hamas used Gaza hospital as command center, details strike on senior commander

The IDF on Thursday detailed an overnight airstrike on Nasser Hospital in the southern Gaza Strip, saying it targeted a senior Hamas commander operating from a restricted section of the medical complex that the militant group had converted into a military headquarters. The strike, carried out shortly after midnight in Khan Younis, targeted Mohammed Abu Ismail, commander of Hamas' Khan Younis Brigade, along with several other operatives allegedly operating inside the hospital, according to a joint statement by the Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet domestic security agency.

The military said its Southern Command Fire Center planned, coordinated and oversaw the operation from beginning to end. The Shin Bet described the attack as a targeted operation against Abu Ismail, whom it accused of directing the brigade's military activities and overseeing plans to carry out attacks against Israeli troops and civilians. The agency also said Abu Ismail had been responsible for holding numerous Israeli hostages captive during the war, including Nimrod Cohen, Matan Zangauker, Edan Alexander and Avera Mengistu.

Others held under his responsibility, according to the agency, included Col. Asaf Hamami, Staff Sgt. Oz Daniel and Capt. Omer Neutra, all of whom were killed and whose remains were held in Gaza. The military identified two additional Hamas operatives targeted in the strike: Murad Tawfiq Mahmoud Abu Zarifa, a team leader in the engineering department of Hamas' combat and administrative support company, and Khaled Osama Abu Anza, head of the communications section in the operations department of the group's intelligence headquarters.

Authorities did not immediately confirm whether all the targeted operatives had been killed. The military said the operation was directed at a specific room inside the hospital from which Abu Ismail and other Hamas operatives were conducting military activities. "Before the strike, precautionary measures were taken to minimize, as much as possible, harm to the hospital building and uninvolved civilians," the IDF said. "The strike was carried out in a targeted manner against the room from which the brigade commander and the terrorists were conducting military activities."

The military added that it had repeatedly warned Hamas to stop using the hospital for military purposes, including in recent weeks. "Before carrying out the strike, the IDF repeatedly warned and demanded that military activity at the hospital cease, on several occasions, including recently," it said. According to the IDF, Hamas had converted the hospital's second floor into a military headquarters accessible only to senior operatives. "The second floor of the hospital serves as a Hamas military headquarters, with civilians prohibited from entering and strict security maintained because it is used by the organization's commanders, including Mohammed Abu Ismail," the military said.

Security officials further alleged that Hamas had used the hospital complex to store weapons, operate command-and-control centers, establish observation posts and provide shelter for militants. The military also accused Hamas' internal security and intelligence personnel of conducting interrogations and torture inside the facility. Authorities said dozens of hostages had been held at Nasser Hospital during the war, many of them abducted from Kibbutz Nahal Oz.

"Throughout the war, many dozens of hostages were held at Nasser Hospital, many of them from Kibbutz Nahal Oz, including women, children, older adults and foreign nationals," the IDF said. The allegations concerning Hamas' activities inside the hospital could not be independently verified. Reports of an Israeli strike on a Gaza hospital began circulating internationally shortly after the attack, accompanied by criticism of Israel's military operations and allegations that civilians had been harmed.

The military issued its detailed explanation several hours later, saying the operation had been carefully planned to limit damage to the hospital and avoid civilian casualties. The Board of Peace subsequently condemned Hamas' alleged use of hospitals and other civilian infrastructure for military purposes. It also condemned the loss of life in the strike but did not condemn Israel. The council said the incident underscored the urgency of implementing the 20-point Gaza peace plan, including Hamas' disarmament and the establishment of secure, demilitarized arrangements throughout the territory.

The strike comes as Israel faces growing American pressure to advance diplomatic arrangements for Gaza while seeking to preserve its military's freedom to act against Hamas. On Tuesday, responsibility for a project to locate and seal tunnels in the Rafah area was transferred to the Board of Peace, with an Israeli management company expected to oversee operations on the ground. Under the new arrangement, payments and logistical matters involving concrete plants, contractors and other project activities are to be handled through the council's administrative apparatus.

The transfer marks another step toward more direct American involvement in projects connected to Gaza's reconstruction and security arrangements, although the initiative currently covers a relatively limited area of activity. Separately, the Prime Minister's Office announced two days earlier that Israel would allow winter supplies into Gaza in response to humanitarian needs. The decision came despite Hamas remaining armed and raised the possibility that some supplies could include dual-use materials previously restricted over concerns that they could be used to rebuild the group's military infrastructure.

The developments follow American pressure on Israel to advance negotiations and implement the proposed framework for Gaza's future. IDF officials have sought to make clear that progress on diplomatic arrangements and new oversight mechanisms will not restrict the IDF's ability to independently target militants, prevent Hamas from rebuilding its capabilities or pursue those responsible for the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and the captivity of Israeli hostages.

The strike at Nasser Hospital highlights that position, demonstrating Israel's intention to continue military operations against Hamas even as Washington presses ahead with political and administrative changes in the territory. The operation also comes amid political uncertainty in Israel and mounting tensions between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, who leads the Yashar party and currently holds the mandate to form a government.

The two have exchanged accusations in recent days over security briefings and the handling of sensitive national security matters. The dispute followed a period in which the Security Cabinet had not convened for more than a month, while regular security briefings between Netanyahu and senior opposition figures, including Eisenkot and opposition leader Yair Lapid, had not taken place. Netanyahu and Eisenkot issued a joint statement Thursday and met for a security briefing, although disagreements over major security issues remain unresolved.