An Israeli strike on a hospital highlights the devastation to Gaza’s health care system

BEIRUT: A deadly airstrike on the biggest hospital in the southern Gaza Strip highlighted the devastation that Israel’s campaign has wreaked on the Palestinian territory’s health care system over the past three years.

The strike that hit Nasser Hospital’s surgical wing killed six people, including a surgeon and a 13-year-old boy, and heavily damaged operating rooms and patient wards. The Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas commander using the hospital as a base, though it did not provide evidence for the claim.

Israel has carried out near daily strikes in Gaza despite a ceasefire agreement with Hamas that took effect in October 2025. Israel says it is targeting militants. Israel launched its campaign in Gaza in retaliation for Hamas’ deadly October 2023 attack on southern Israel.