Israeli airstrike hits Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza

An Israeli airstrike hit a building at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis early on Thursday, killing between five and six people and wounding around 20 others. BBC News and rte.ie reported that officials from the Hamas-run civil defence agency confirmed the casualties, with civil defence spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal stating that six people died inside the facility. [1][4][8][13]

Eyewitnesses reported that a single missile was fired from a warplane that briefly flew over the area, according to BBC News. The strike hit the surgical wards and intensive care units, causing extensive damage to the hospital's surgery department. BBC News noted that a surgeon was among those killed during the attack. [1]

The Israeli military stated that it targeted a senior Hamas member and other militants who were using the location, BBC News reported. Nasser Hospital is one of the largest medical facilities in the Gaza Strip, as FTMQ News reported earlier. [1][13]

The attack follows related military actions in the territory. Anadolu Ajansı and Al Jazeera reported that Palestinian footballer Mahmoud Abdel-Malek, a Gaza goalkeeper, was also killed in an Israeli strike, coming just days after he participated in the Thousand Martyrs Cup. [2][6]