Daily Briefing Nov. 12 – IDF strike on Hamas in hospital puts spotlight back on Gaza

An Israeli airstrike on Thursday resulted in the deaths of six individuals and injuries to roughly 20 others at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza. The Israeli military confirmed the strike, while Gaza's civil defense agency stated that the deceased and over 20 wounded had been recovered from a building within the medical complex.

The hospital's spokesperson, Mahmoud Bassal, informed AFP that the death toll from the Israeli assault inside Nasser Medical Complex, located west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, has now reached six. Nasser Hospital later confirmed the six fatalities in a statement.

The Israeli military claimed the strike was carried out to neutralize a threat, as Hamas had established a presence within the hospital complex and utilized it as a command center. Hazem Qassem, a spokesman for Hamas, denounced the strike on Nasser as a war crime and held the US-backed Board of Peace, responsible for overseeing Gaza's ceasefire plan, accountable for failing to prevent the attack.

Additionally, a seventh person was reportedly killed by Israeli fire in central Gaza's Al-Bureij camp on Thursday. Al-Aqsa hospital confirmed receiving the body and reported that the man had been shot dead by Israeli forces. Israel's military stated it was investigating the incident.

Israel and Hamas have been at odds over alleged violations of the ceasefire that went into effect in October 2025, following a two-year-long Israeli offensive in Gaza. The offensive was triggered by an unprecedented attack carried out by the Palestinian group against Israel on October 7, 2023. On Tuesday, Israeli forces killed seven individuals, including a 13-year-old boy, in the Gaza Strip, while the Israeli military attributed the deaths to "military operatives."

According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, over 1,590 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the ceasefire, while Israel has reported the loss of seven soldiers and one civilian contractor during the same period.