IDF strikes Gaza hospital, targeting Hamas brigade commander, other senior operatives

The Israel Defense Forces struck the al-Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza on Thursday morning, targeting a “senior Hamas terrorist” and several accomplices, the military said in a statement.

The military also claimed that Hamas has continued to use the hospital complex as “a headquarters for military and terrorist activity against IDF forces and the State of Israel.”

According to the IDF, Hamas has used the Nasser Hospital for storing weapons, conducting internal security and intelligence interrogations and torture, operating command-and-control rooms, and using the facility as observation posts and shelters for operatives.

The IDF called Hamas’ use of the hospital “a blatant violation of international law,” and said the strike came in order to remove the threat posed by the terrorists "after turning the Nasser Hospital compound into a headquarters and operating from there to advance dozens of terrorist plots against our forces and restore the brigade’s force buildup, which suffered significant damage throughout the war."

A military officer also released audio of a previous conversation between an IDF officer and a Gaza Health Ministry official, saying that continued use of medical facilities by Hamas would lead to a military response.

The main target was Muhammad Abu Ismail, who served as the commander of Hamas’ Khan Younis Brigade. The IDF killed his predecessor in September.

According to the military, Abu Ismail "was responsible for overseeing the activities of the brigade’s terrorists and directing them to advance and carry out terrorist plots against IDF troops and Israeli civilians. He was also responsible for holding numerous hostages captive throughout the war."

Last year, shortly before the October 2025 Gaza Ceasefire deal negotiated by U.S. President Donald Trump, the IDF began an investigation into one of its strikes on the hospital, following reports of several civilians having been killed, including prominent Gaza journalists.

At the same time, information from media reports and Hamas’ own social media posts indicated that the hospital was being used by Hamas spotters with cameras to monitor IDF movements and track the efficacy of Hamas attacks against the forces.

According to Palestinian news site Ma’an News, the strike “targeted the second floor of the Al-Yassin building within the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis.”

It said the victims included a doctor, a patient, and individuals accompanying patients on the floor.

The news outlet said the strike marks the seventh time the hospital has been targeted by the IDF since the start of the Oct. 7, 2023, Gaza War.

The IDF struck the Nasser Hospital about a year ago, targeting another high-ranking Hamas commander.

Throughout the war, the Israeli military has presented evidence of the use of hospitals by the terror organization to shelter combatants, observe IDF positions and movements, store weapons, and even fire on Israeli soldiers, all actions which remove a hospital’s protected status under international law.

Honest Reporting writer Joe Truzman shared a post on social media, indicating that one of the named victims from the IDF strike appears to have been involved in the capture of Israeli hostages on Oct. 7, 2023.

In a statement to Palestinian media, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasem called the strike on the hospital “a full-fledged war crime and an act of unprecedented terrorism.”

Qasem claimed that the strike “resulted in a massacre of patients and medical staff,” while blaming the Board of Peace “for its failure to act and its bias toward the Zionist entity.”

Hamas also called on “the masses of the Arab and Islamic nations, and all free people across the world, to escalate popular actions and solidarity demonstrations.”

Palestinian media reported a drone strike in the Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza, which reportedly killed one person.

On Wednesday evening, another strike reportedly killed three people and injured two others. The IDF did not release any statements about those reported strikes.

The military also did not say whether the strike on the Hamas operatives in the hospital was successful, stating that it will provide an update on the results of the attack at a later time.

It also said that “steps were taken to reduce the likelihood of harm to civilians, including the use of precision munitions and aerial surveillance,” both during and after the strike.

This article was originally published by All Israel News.