Israeli strike on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital kills five, says Gaza civil defence

CAIRO: An Israeli airstrike hit the surgery department at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, killing at least five people, including a surgeon, and wounding 20 others early on Thursday, Gaza’s civil defence service said.

Spokesperson for the territory’s civil defence service, Mahmoud Basa, told Reuters that the strike caused extensive damage to the hospital building. Nasser Hospital is located in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip.

Medics identified the surgeon killed in the attack as Rezik Abushira.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the reported strike. According to Basal, the Israeli strike hit the hospital’s surgery department, killing five people and injuring 20 others. The damage to the building was described as extensive.

Conflict continues despite truce

Israel, which has stepped up its attacks on the enclave, says Hamas is trying to regroup and refill its arsenal. Hamas says it is committed to a year-old ceasefire agreement and accuses Israel of trying to undermine it.

At least 1,600 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since the ceasefire agreement, according to the territory’s health officials, while Israel says four ⁠soldiers have ​been killed.

Palestinian authorities say more than 74,000 ​people have been killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza. Israel launched its offensive after Hamas-led fighters killed about 1,200 people, by Israeli tallies, ​in southern Israel in an attack on October 7, 2023.