The airstrike on Nasser Hospital on Wednesday night continues a pattern of Israeli attacks on hospitals, killing patients and doctors, and destroying essential medical facilities. The airstrike killed six, including a 13-year-old boy and a surgeon.  

Nasser Hospital is one of the few remaining in Gaza after years of relentless Israeli bombardment that left the healthcare system in tatters. According to initial reports, the strike used three missiles, only one of which exploded, leaving civilians, including patients and medical personnel, at risk of unexploded ordnance. Israeli forces last attacked Nasser Hospital in August 2025 when three airstrikes killed 22 Palestinians, including five journalists.  

A 2024 UN Human Rights report examined the pattern which had already destroyed most hospitals in Gaza by then and said the Israeli military “has not provided sufficient information to enable independent substantiation of its statements, when made, that the hospitals, ambulances, and personnel attacked had lost their special protection and constituted military objectives.”  

Direct attacks against hospitals, medical personnel and the sick and wounded amount to a war crime.