A British volunteer surgeon who witnessed an Israeli attack on Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza has recounted the horror of the strike that killed six Palestinians, including a surgeon he had worked alongside just hours earlier, highlighting the continued dangers facing medical workers and patients in the besieged territory.

Jawad Rahbour, a consultant general surgeon with Britain's National Health Service (NHS), was inside the hospital in Khan Yunis when the Israeli strike hit its surgical department early Thursday, November 12.

Speaking to the Associated Press, Rahbour said the explosion shook the building and filled the facility with smoke, causing extensive damage to vital medical areas, including the surgical department.

Among those killed was Dr. Rizq Abu Shaeera, a Palestinian surgeon who had worked alongside Rahbour only hours before the attack.

According to Gaza's Ministry of Health, the strike targeted the hospital's surgical wing and severely damaged several floors, recovery areas and other medical facilities. Images from the scene showed shattered rooms, scattered medical equipment and wounded patients being transported through damaged corridors.

The killing of Abu Shaeera has further highlighted the devastating consequences of attacks on Gaza's healthcare system, where doctors, nurses and other medical personnel continue working under extremely dangerous conditions while facing shortages of essential medicines, equipment and supplies.

British surgeon had previously witnessed Gaza's healthcare crisis

Rahbour is no stranger to the deteriorating conditions in Gaza's hospitals. He previously volunteered at Nasser Medical Complex between May and June 2025 through Medical Aid for Palestinians, witnessing mass casualties, critically injured children and severe shortages of medical supplies.

In July 2025, he also addressed a British parliamentary briefing on Gaza's healthcare crisis, describing the overwhelming pressure on medical personnel and the limited resources available to treat the growing number of wounded Palestinians.

His latest testimony provides a firsthand account of the destruction caused by the strike and the loss of a colleague who had been treating patients alongside him shortly before the bombing.

Israel repeats military justification for hospital attack

Following the strike, the Israeli military claimed it had targeted a Hamas commander and other operatives, alleging that Nasser Medical Complex had been used for military command activities.

However, the Associated Press reported that the Israeli military had provided no evidence supporting its allegation that the hospital was being used as a command center.

The attack has renewed concerns over the safety of medical facilities in Gaza and the repeated threats facing healthcare workers and patients. Hospitals are protected under international humanitarian law, and medical personnel, patients and civilian infrastructure must not be subjected to attacks.

The World Health Organization has documented more than 1,000 attacks on healthcare in Gaza since October 2023, underscoring the scale of the threats facing the territory's already devastated health system.

For Rahbour, the attack was not simply another incident in Gaza's prolonged humanitarian catastrophe. It claimed the life of a fellow surgeon with whom he had shared the responsibility of saving lives just hours earlier.

As Gaza's hospitals struggle to remain operational amid destruction and severe shortages, the killing of medical personnel and damage to healthcare facilities further undermine the ability of Palestinians to access life-saving treatment. (ILKHA)