Israeli Strike on Gaza Hospital Kills Six Palestinians, Health Ministry Says

Six people have been killed and about 20 injured in an Israeli air strike on Nasser hospital in the southern Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run health ministry said.
The hospital’s director said two missiles hit a building containing surgical wards and intensive care units overnight, but that one of the missiles did not explode.
The health ministry said medical staff, patients and companions were killed, among them surgeon Dr Rizq Abu Shaira. It condemned the attack as a “flagrant violation of international laws and conventions”.
The Israeli military said it targeted a commander of Hamas’s armed wing and other fighters who had used the hospital as a “headquarters” to plan attacks on its forces.
Hamas said that Israel was spreading “false narratives” in a “blatant attempt to cover up a new war crime”.
Under international law, hospitals have a protected status, but they have been repeatedly targeted during the Gaza war.
Israel accuses Hamas, which retains security control of parts of Gaza not occupied by Israeli troops, of cynically exploiting civilian infrastructure. It says the group stores weapons and runs command and control rooms in hospitals, which Hamas denies.
Israel does not allow international news organisations, including the BBC, into Gaza, making it difficult to verify what is happening in the territory.
The Nasser Medical Complex is located in the city of Khan Younis and is the largest hospital in southern Gaza, serving almost one million people.
In a video posted on social media, a paramedic from the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency who arrived at the building after the strike early on Thursday said a missile penetrated the five-storey structure and hit a room in the surgical department.
Other footage shared by activists showed thick smoke inside the building and extensive destruction on the second floor, where medical equipment and beds had been scattered by an explosion.