IDF Strikes Gaza Hospital Complex, Citing Hamas Command Center and Hostage Holding

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated on November 14 that Hamas utilized the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis not only as a military headquarters but also as a facility for holding dozens of Israeli hostages, including women, children, the elderly, and foreigners. The army claims that Hamas operated a command center on the hospital's second floor, inaccessible to civilians, where senior commanders directed operations against Israeli forces and worked to restore the group's capabilities. This revelation followed an Israeli airstrike on November 12, targeting Muhammad Abu Ismail, a senior Hamas commander in Khan Younis allegedly responsible for holding several Israeli hostages. Among those named as hostages were Edan Alexander, Nimrod Cohen, Oza Daniel, Colonel Asaf Hamami, Avera Mengistu, Captain Omer Neutra, and Matan Zangauker, many of whom were reportedly abducted from Kibbutz Nahal Oz on October 7, 2023.

The IDF also reported that Abu Ismail became a key figure in managing the brigade after its commander, Muhammad Yazouri, was eliminated on September 10. According to the IDF, Abu Ismail was involved in planning numerous attacks and rebuilding Hamas infrastructure in southern Gaza. The November 12 strike also targeted two other Hamas operatives: Murad Tawfiq Mahmoud Abu Zarifa, who led a group in the engineering unit, and Khaled Osama Abu Anza, head of communications for the intelligence staff. The military asserted that all three were in the same room within the hospital complex at the time of the strike, which aimed to neutralize a threat from militants using the medical facility for attack planning. The IDF stated it had repeatedly warned Hamas against military activity at the hospital, but the organization persisted, having previously been accused by the IDF of storing weapons and torturing Gazan residents there.

The IDF has not confirmed the elimination of Abu Ismail and the other two operatives. Palestinian sources reported six fatalities from the strike, including a surgeon, which the IDF also has not confirmed. Following the strike, the Peace Council, under U.S. leadership, condemned the use of hospitals for military purposes and urged adherence to Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza. The council called on Israel and Hamas to protect civilians, maintain a ceasefire, and demilitarize Gaza, while also developing a mechanism for safe access to medical care. Israel, however, maintains that Hamas must disarm and the Gaza Strip must be demilitarized as preconditions for reconstruction, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stating the organization has not surrendered any weapons.