Gaza Doctor Killed in Hospital Strike as Attacks on Health Sector Escalate

In the early hours of November 12, 2026, Dr. Rizq Abu Shuaira was on duty in the surgery department of the Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza. An Israeli strike hit the facility, killing at least six people. Among the victims were Dr. Abu Shuaira and a 13-year-old child. The attack marks the seventh strike on this specific hospital, which serves at least 500,000 residents in the southern part of the enclave.

Zaher al-Waheidi, the spokesperson for the Gaza Ministry of Health, described the incident as a horrific crime. He stated that Israeli forces specifically targeted the surgery department. Al-Waheidi noted that the hospital suffered widespread destruction in its operating rooms, outpatient clinics, radiology department, and laboratory. He emphasized that Dr. Abu Shuaira was providing services to patients when he was killed in the hospital corridors.

The Gaza Government Media Office holds Israel and the United States directly responsible for the strike. The office has documented 793 Israeli attacks on healthcare services in the region. A comprehensive report published last month by Insecurity Insight on ReliefWeb indicates that at least 3,508 attacks on healthcare across the occupied Palestinian territory were reported between October 2023 and September 2026. Israeli forces were attributed with 95 percent of these incidents.

Since the war began in October 2023, at least 1,725 medical workers have been killed in Gaza. Currently, only 20 of the enclave's 37 hospitals are partially functioning, while 17 remain nonoperational. Health authorities report that 44 percent of essential medicines are out of stock due to continued blocks on supply into the population of 2.3 million people. Despite a ceasefire agreement signed in October 2025, attacks on medical infrastructure have continued.

The crisis has also expanded to the occupied West Bank. A World Health Organization report covering hostilities from January to August 2026 documented 124 distinct attacks on healthcare facilities in the territory, resulting in four deaths and 40 injuries. In October 2026 alone, the Independent Palestinian Doctors Association recorded 23 violations against the healthcare system. Notable incidents included two raids by Israeli forces on Salfit Government Hospital to confiscate surveillance recordings, as well as a violent raid on a nearby ambulance center.

Eid Dwaikat, media director of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, described the operational environment as highly dangerous. He explained that sieges, closures, and movement restrictions threaten the safety of paramedics. Dwaikat noted that preventing teams from reaching the injured delays life-saving first aid, which increases the risk of death or worsens critical injuries due to the lack of timely medical care.

The detention of medical staff has further exacerbated the crisis. Physicians for Human Rights Israel highlighted the plight of 14 detained Palestinian doctors, including hospital directors and surgeons held without formal charges. Al-Waheidi criticized the use of the Unlawful Combatants Law to hold doctors for nearly two years without trial. He argued that if authorities have evidence, it should be presented in a fair public trial, rather than through arbitrary detention without independent medical examination.

Dr. Husam Abu Safia, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, has been in Israeli custody for more than 500 days. On November 11, 2026, the Israeli Supreme Court dismissed a petition for his release and refused to allow an independent physician to examine him. An independent medical review obtained by Physicians for Human Rights Israel showed that Abu Safia lost 14 kilograms in four months, suffered a significant drop in hemoglobin levels, and experienced chest pain.

Tirza Leibowitz, executive director of Physicians for Human Rights Israel, stated that the abuse has risen to the level of a policy implemented by the Israeli Prison Service. She cited severe beatings and loss of consciousness reported by Dr. Abu Safia's lawyer. Leibowitz described the situation for the approximately 10,000 Palestinians held in Israeli detention as appalling, noting the daily violence and poor conditions in the prisons.

For the family of Dr. Abu Safia, the incarceration has been emotionally devastating. His son, Elias Abu Safia, said the family has not spoken to him for 685 days. They only receive information through his lawyer. Elias described their dream of having a direct phone call with their father, which Israel has denied. He expressed deep concern over the health conditions and treatment his father receives inside the detention facilities.