An Israeli airstrike on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza killed six people and wounded at least 12, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. (Foto: Instagram)
An Israeli airstrike on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza killed six people and wounded at least 12, the Gaza Health Ministry said Thursday, Nov. 12. The ministry said the strike hit the hospital’s surgery department and that a doctor was among those killed.
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed carrying out the attack. The military said its targets were a senior Hamas militant and other militants operating at the hospital. Israel has alleged that Hamas used the facility as a center for military and terrorist activity.
The Israeli military said the alleged activities included storing weapons, conducting interrogations and torture, operating command-and-control rooms, and using hospital facilities as observation posts and shelters for militants. In a statement, the IDF said Hamas’ use of the hospital for military purposes was a “flagrant violation of international law” that put patients, health care workers and civilians at risk. The military said it would provide further updates on the results of the operation.
The World Health Organization has warned about the effects of the war on Gaza’s health care system since Israel began its attacks in the territory. In a statement published in May, the WHO said the system was on the brink of collapse.
At that time, according to the WHO assessment, only 19 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals remained operational. The organization also reported that at least 94% of the territory’s hospitals had been damaged or destroyed.
