An Israeli airstrike has hit a building at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, resulting in the deaths of at least five Palestinians, according to a Hamas‑run Civil Defence official speaking to the BBC.
Eyewitnesses reported that a single missile, fired from a warplane that briefly overflew the area, struck a structure housing the hospital’s surgical wards and intensive‑care units. Twenty people were injured in the attack.
Among those killed was a surgeon who was present during the early‑morning strike on Thursday.
The Israeli military has not yet responded; the Israel Defense Forces were contacted for comment. Earlier, Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Basal told AFP that six people had been killed. The BBC is barred by Israel from reporting independently from inside Gaza, so the details cannot be independently verified.
Recovery efforts are being led by the Civil Defence, which operates under the Hamas interior ministry, with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Video footage shared by activists shows thick smoke emanating from the building and extensive damage on the second floor, where medical equipment and beds were scattered by the blast.
Some local activists have suggested the strike may have been aimed at a senior Hamas security figure reportedly hiding inside the hospital.
Israel frequently accuses Hamas of using medical facilities for military purposes, a claim that Hamas denies.
The director of the Nasser Medical Complex said the building was hit by a vertical strike, causing extensive damage to the intensive‑care and surgical departments for both male and female patients.
Nasser Hospital, the largest medical centre in southern Gaza, suffered a double Israeli strike in August 2025 that killed at least 20 people, including journalists and health workers.
Israeli attacks on Gaza have persisted despite a ceasefire agreed upon in October of last year. According to Gaza’s Hamas‑run health ministry, more than 1,600 people have been killed since the truce was established, a figure deemed reliable by the United Nations.
Both Israel and Hamas have accused each other of breaching the ceasefire agreement.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza has further deteriorated following recent heavy rains that flooded tens of thousands of tents housing displaced families.
The conflict began after a Hamas‑led assault on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which approximately 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
Since then, over 74,645 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the health ministry’s latest count.