Up to five people were reported killed and up to “dozens” injured in a declared Israeli airstrike on the Nasser medical complex in Khan Younis on the evening of 23 March, 2025. The strike was reported to have hit the emergency wing of the hospital, causing an extensive fire to break out.
Out of the reported deaths, two were identified: 56-year-old Hamas political appointee and (according to the Israel Defense Forces) newly appointed Head of Government Ismail Musa Barhoum (also known as Abu Mohammed) and his nephew, 16-year-old student Ibrahim Sami Jumaa Barhoum. Ismail Barhoum was, according to X/Twitter user @Hakeam_ps, in the hospital “receiving treatment after sustaining critical injuries” in a strike the week prior.
In a post shared to the IDF’s official Telegram account, the IDF wrote that Ismail had succeeded Esam al-Daalis as the Head of Government. Esam was killed in a declared pre-dawn strike less than a week prior, on March 18 (ISPT180325i). (While the IDF post wrote Esam’s name as ‘Essam’, Airwars has opted for the ‘Esam’ transliteration/spelling, as that is how two of Esam’s daughters wrote it on Facebook.)
@Tafasilonline_1 reported 5 deaths, while Ahmed Mustaga Mesleh claimed “dozens of […] emergency room patients” had been killed. Abed Al Latief Sodo reported that the doctors and nurses “performing surgery” on Ismail Barhoum were also killed. Some of the injuries sustained were reported to be severe.
Ismail Barhoum was a member of Hamas and had ‘restrictive measures’ placed against him by the European Union for his role in financing the organisation via his position as the Head of Hamas’ Charitable Institutions Association. The EU regulation details his position as Member of Hamas’ Political Bureau in Gaza and its Governing Shura Council. Although this position links Ismail to the financing of Hamas, as a position that is civic rather than militant in nature, Airwars has not classified Ismail as a combatant in this incident. Even if his role had been militant in nature, Ismail was killed while seeking treatment at a hospital, and so he would be considered a hors to combat, and as such not a legitimate military target.
Ramallah News reported that Ibrahim Barhoum’s twin brother Muhammad had been killed the previous week. This source also suggested that Ibrahim’s father, “the martyred leader” was also killed in the 23 March strike. It is unclear whether this reference was mistakenly in regards to Ismail, or whether another man was killed. @PalinfoAr, reporting the death of a 16-year-old – most probably Ibrahim Barhoum – wrote that the teenager had “undergone surgery two days earlier.”
The strike hit “the second floor of the emergency building – the surgery department.” Mohammed Al Barca specified that the second floor “houses the men’s surgery unit.” Multiple sources alleged repeated strikes.
Abed Dawas shared video footage of the purported moment of the strike. His colleague, journalist Rami Abu Taima, is standing in front of the hospital, preparing to give a report, when an explosion sounds behind him. The strike caused a fire on the second floor. Quds News shared a video of the fire, which was significant, and had completely subsumed areas of the hospital. @hassaneslayeh shared another video, including tape of fire relief efforts, and footage of debris scattered throughout destroyed hospital rooms. The Independent Arabia also shared video of fire extinguishing efforts: fire had broken out above the sign marking the hospital. Later footage shows the extensive damage within the building: layers of debris and exposed wiring.
Abu Abed Al Haq decried a lack of interest in news of strikes on Gaza, comparing a perceived silence to the emphatic condemnations afforded atrocities occurring in Western nations: “Imagine if it had been a hospital in a Western country, or in Ukraine, or even in the United States… What would the reaction have been then?!” Instagram user khaled_serr, decrying a belief that “all of Palestininan [sic] are targets for [the Israeli military],” included a photograph of the missiles that were reportedly used in the strike.
Both names have been matched with the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MoH) lists, which include national ID numbers. Airwars is matching individuals to the first list where their name appeared. In regard to this incident, names are matched to the ninth ‘Palestinian Ministry of Health List of Fatalities in Gaza’ list, which was released on June 23, 2025
The Israel Defense Forces acknowledged the strike on Telegram, writing that “Yesterday (Sunday), the IDF and ISA conducted a targeted strike in the area of Khan Yunis, eliminating the terrorist Ismail Barhoum, head of Hamas’ finances and institutions in the terrorist organization’s political bureau.” He had been, the IDF continued, a “key figure in Hamas’ political bureau and was actively involved in the military decision-making process that directly impacted Hamas’ operations.” He had been killed “while he was operating within the “Nasser” Hospital, while cynically endangering the civilian population in the area.” The IDF also shared an infographic outlining Ismail’s activities. One of the lines notes that Ismail was the “Successor to Essam al-Daalis, former head of the Government who was eliminated last week.” Essam al-Daalis was killed in a declared strike on the pre-dawn strikes on March 18, 2025 (ISPT180325i) when Israel broke the ceasefire which had been in effect since January 2025.