Doctor among six Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza hospital

Detailed summary

Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis is one of Gaza’s few remaining medical facilities

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An Israeli airstrike on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza killed six people and wounded at least a dozen more, the health ministry said.

The strike was carried out early Thursday, according to the Israeli military, which said it struck “a senior Hamas terrorist”, without providing evidence.

Gaza’s health ministry said the airstrike hit the hospital’s surgery department and that a doctor was among the dead.

An Associated Press journalist at the scene said parts of the building’s second floor were destroyed.

Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis is one of the few remaining medical facilities in Gaza, whose healthcare infrastructure lies decimated by three years of Israeli bombardment.

British surgeon Dr Goher Rahbour, who is volunteering at Nasser Hospital in Gaza with the group IDEALS, said the entire building shook as the Israeli missiles smashed into a level of the complex which houses six surgical theatres.

At least six people were killed including a prominent surgeon, Dr Rizq Abu Shaira, he continued.

“I was operating with him up until about 8:00 PM… he was killed just a few hours later. He was very lovely, affable guy. A very gentle soul,” Dr Rahbour told The Independent, audibly shaken.

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