Politics1 min read

He was awaiting surgery. An Israeli strike killed him in his hospital bed

By · Via Middle East Eye · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Six people, including a surgeon, a child, and patients, were killed during an overnight Israeli missile strike on the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis. The severe structural damage disabled vital operating rooms and intensive care units across the facility. Among the dead was 26-year-old Saif Abu Hatab, who had been admitted on Monday with a fractured vertebra and partial paralysis caused by a falling concrete column. He had been scheduled for surgery ahead of planned medical treatment abroad and his upcoming wedding.

Key points

  • Critical healthcare infrastructure in Khan Younis continues to face severe operational di…: Critical healthcare infrastructure in Khan Younis continues to face severe operational disruption from targeted military strikes.
  • Israeli forces have killed more than 1,600 Palestinians, including at least 340 children,…: Israeli forces have killed more than 1,600 Palestinians, including at least 340 children, since the announcement of an earlier ceasefire.
  • The cumulative death toll in the Gaza conflict has exceeded 74,000 people since the war b…: The cumulative death toll in the Gaza conflict has exceeded 74,000 people since the war began in October 2023.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Lying in a hospital bed at Nasser Medical Complex, Saif Abu Hatab was terrified about the surgery scheduled for Thursday morning.

The 26-year-old Palestinian wanted his mother by his side that night at the hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza. She promised to return after the dawn (Fajr) prayer and stay with him.

But before she could return, an Israeli attack struck the hospital overnight. Two missiles hit its surgical building, killing Abu Hatab.

“Our younger brother, our friend and the backbone of our family was killed while frightened, lying in a hospital bed, unable to move and helpless,” his brother, Ashraf Abu Hatab, told Middle East Eye.

Six people were killed in the attack, including a surgeon, a child and other patients.

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It was the latest Israeli attack on a hospital in Gaza, despite the ceasefire announced last year, which was intended to end Israel's genocidal war on the territory, launched in October 2023.

Since the…

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