An Israeli occupation airstrike struck the second floor of the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, causing extensive destruction to its intensive care and surgical departments. The attack took place early Thursday, November 12, damaging critical medical facilities at one of the few major hospitals still operating in the southern Gaza Strip. Gaza’s Civil Defence reported that six Palestinians were martyred and more than 20 others injured.
The strike hit the Al-Yasin building within the hospital complex, severely damaging the surgery department and other medical units. Hospital officials described extensive destruction across the intensive care and surgical wards, while images and footage from inside the facility showed debris scattered throughout damaged rooms and corridors. Patients and injured people had to be evacuated through areas filled with rubble.
Among those martyred was Dr. Rezik Abu Shaeera, a surgeon working in the hospital’s general surgery department. Medical personnel were among those affected by the attack, while more than 20 wounded Palestinians were reported to have been taken for treatment. The damage to specialised departments has further complicated the hospital’s ability to provide emergency and surgical care.
The attack has intensified concerns over the safety of patients, medical staff and healthcare infrastructure in Gaza. Hospitals and medical facilities are afforded special protection under international humanitarian law, and any attack affecting them raises serious questions about compliance with those protections. The destruction of critical hospital departments also threatens access to life-saving treatment for civilians already facing a severe shortage of medical services.
The strike comes despite the ceasefire agreement that took effect on October 10, 2025. Palestinian health authorities say continued Israeli occupation attacks since the agreement have caused more than 1,600 Palestinian fatalities, while the wider genocide in Gaza has devastated the territory’s healthcare system and destroyed or damaged much of its infrastructure.
Nasser Medical Complex remains a vital healthcare facility for Palestinians in southern Gaza, where medical resources, medicines and functioning hospital beds are already critically limited. Damage to its intensive care and surgical departments could leave critically ill patients and those requiring urgent operations with even fewer options for treatment.
The destruction at Nasser Medical Complex is another devastating blow to Gaza’s collapsing healthcare system. As hospitals struggle to operate amid repeated attacks, shortages and widespread destruction, the protection of medical facilities and the uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian assistance remain urgent international obligations.
