Israel’s assault on Gaza’s Nasser Hospital earlier this week was far deadlier and more extensive than initially reported, according to an investigation by BBC Verify. The analysis, supported by weapons experts, has confirmed that the hospital was struck at least four times during Monday’s attack, not twice as first believed.
The strike, which has sparked international condemnation, killed at least 20 people, including five journalists, and left dozens injured. Initial reports from Gaza indicated two separate blasts: the first hit the facility, followed nine minutes later by another that targeted first responders and journalists rushing to the scene.
However, BBC Verify’s frame-by-frame analysis of eyewitness footage and freelance material from inside Gaza revealed a more complex sequence of strikes. Two stairwells were hit almost simultaneously in the first wave. Later, what appeared to be a single blast was in fact two separate projectiles striking within milliseconds of each other a so-called “double-tap” attack.
Newly surfaced videos show smoke rising from both staircases, emergency workers describing damage to the operating department, and bloodied clothing belonging to a nurse who was hit while working. Footage also captured medics carrying an injured person down the hospital’s northern staircase.
N.R. Jenzen-Jones, director of Armament Research Services, said the impact patterns suggested the use of relatively small munitions fired with a flat trajectory. Weapons analysts who reviewed the footage told the BBC the projectiles were likely Lahat guided missiles, which can be launched from tanks, drones, or helicopters.
The evidence points to multiple weapons platforms. According to Amael Kotlarski, a defence analyst at Janes, “If these Lahats were fired from the ground, then at least two tanks would have been involved, as the interval between the two impacts is far too short. No tank loader could have reloaded that fast.”
Israel has not commented directly on the BBC’s findings. The attack adds to mounting criticism of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, where hospitals — protected under international law — have repeatedly been struck. Global calls are growing for accountability as evidence of repeated strikes on medical facilities continues to emerge.
