The IDF and Shin Bet (Israel’s security agency) said Hamas had established a presence inside the medical facility and was using it as a command centre for military operations against Israeli troops and the State of Israel.
The military accused the group of exploiting civilian and medical infrastructure for military purposes, putting patients, medical staff and other civilians at risk.
It said the alleged activities included storing weapons inside the hospital complex, operating command-and-control rooms, and using hospital facilities as observation posts and shelters for terrorists.
The IDF also alleged that Hamas’s internal security and intelligence services had conducted interrogations and torture within the hospital compound.
Israel has previously accused Hamas of using Nasser Hospital for military purposes.
In August 2026, the IDF and Shin Bet alleged that the group’s internal security and intelligence services were operating inside the complex, where interrogations and torture were said to have taken place.
The military said it had taken steps before and during Thursday’s strike to minimise civilian casualties, including the use of precision munitions and aerial surveillance.
It did not immediately confirm whether Abu Ismail had been killed.
The IDF also released material it said illustrated Hamas’s use of hospitals in Gaza for terrorist purposes, alongside an alleged conversation between an Israeli officer from the Gaza Coordination and Liaison Administration and a senior official in Gaza’s health system.
The military said its operation was intended to eliminate the threat posed by the Hamas operatives.