British Surgeon Tells of Horror as Israeli Strike Kills Gaza Doctor He Operated With Hours Earlier

A doctor killed in an Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital had been operating beside British surgeon Dr Goher Rahbour just hours earlier, Gaza's Health Ministry said.

Rahbour was inside the hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, when an airstrike shook the building shortly after midnight on Thursday, 12 November. He described choking fumes and damage to the surgical department.

Volunteering at Nasser with the organisation IDEALS, Rahbour said he had worked with Dr Rizq Abu Shaira until about 8pm. 'I was operating with him up until about 8:00 PM,' he told The Independent.

Remembering his colleague, Rahbour described him as 'A very gentle soul'.

The strike killed six people and injured 52, according to Gaza's Health Ministry and medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), respectively. The Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas commander and other militants allegedly operating from the hospital complex. It did not publicly provide evidence for the claims.

British Surgeon Describes Moments After Israeli Strike

Rahbour was on the fourth floor of the surgical department when the strike occurred, according to his account. The building shook. 'Initially there was a lot of toxic choking fumes,' he said, adding that staff put on face masks and moved towards the recovery area.

The area was severely damaged. Concrete and dust covered surgical facilities, leaving six operating theatres unusable, Rahbour said.

Gaza's Health Ministry said the attack struck the second floor of the surgical wing. Images from inside showed damage to wards and operating rooms, equipment and debris scattered across hospital beds.

Abu Shaira, a general surgeon, was among those killed, alongside a 13-year-old boy and at least one other patient, health officials said.

MSF said two injured doctors and another patient needed surgery and were treated by its team in a separate building. Its statement on 12 November said the emergency, radiology, laboratory and operating departments were out of service.

Nasser Hospital Loses Vital Surgical Capacity

Nasser is a major referral hospital for southern Gaza, serving an estimated 1.3 million people, according to MSF. Staff were already struggling with medical shortages.

Hospital director Ahmed al-Farra said operations and other services had been suspended. Nearby facilities lacked the resources to carry out the specialised procedures provided at Nasser, he said, leaving patients who needed them with uncertain options.

A strike on the hospital complex in August 2025 killed 22 people, including five journalists, according to reporting at the time.

Rahbour also described conditions outside the hospital, saying recent torrential rain and flooding had affected 70,000 tents in Gaza. Earlier that week, he had operated on a pregnant woman with a gunshot wound.

Israel's Military Claims and Hospital Warning Disputed

The Israeli military said Hamas had established a presence inside Nasser and that a commander had used it as a headquarters. Hamas denied the allegation. The commander named by Israel was not among those reported killed; the available accounts did not establish his whereabouts or condition.

MSF said its staff had previously reported armed men in parts of the hospital complex in January, but said the incidents did not occur in areas where it worked. The organisation later resumed core medical activities following security improvements. Its latest statement called for greater protection for healthcare workers and patients.

Al-Farra said there had been no warning immediately before Thursday's strike. Israel said it had issued warnings on several occasions, including recently, that military activity at the hospital must stop. The accounts do not establish whether any earlier warning specified the time or location of this strike.

Hospitals and medical personnel have special protection under international humanitarian law. That protection can cease under strict conditions if a hospital is used for acts harmful to the enemy outside its medical duties, subject to warning requirements. The available accounts do not establish whether those conditions were met in this case.

'No one's safe here,' Al-Farra said. Rahbour, who had operated beside Abu Shaira the previous evening, questioned the killing of doctors and damage to medical services. 'What is the motive? Why are you killing doctors and medical staff?' he asked.