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Israeli strike on Gaza hospital kills surgeon, wounds colleague from ‘American Doctor’
Palestinian surgeon Rizk Abu Shaaira, one of the subjects of Poh Si Teng’s documentary film American Doctor, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis. His colleague Muhammad Odayni, who also appeared in the film, is in critical condition.
An Israeli airstrike on the surgical wing of the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, killed Palestinian surgeon Rizk Abu Shaaira, one of the subjects of the documentary film American Doctor. The Gaza Health Ministry and US distributor Watermelon Pictures announced his death.
Another surgeon featured in the film, Muhammad Odayni, was seriously wounded and is “fighting for his life,” according to the distributor. Both doctors worked at Nasser, one of the few hospitals in Gaza that continue to receive patients.
In this scene from the film, doctors perform surgery at the Nasser Medical Complex. Some of the hospital scenes were filmed by Gaza-based studio Alef Multimedia.
What is known about the strike
Gaza’s civil defense and Health Ministry said the strike occurred shortly after midnight. At least six people were killed, including the 52-year-old surgeon and a 13-year-old boy, while more than 20 were wounded. The Israeli military said the target was a Hamas commander. Ayman Abu Ubeid, head of the surgery department, said there had been no warning before the strike. Munir al-Bursh, director general of Gaza’s Health Ministry, recalled that Nasser had been struck seven times since 2023.
“An unforgivable crime”
Film director Poh Si Teng called Abu Shaaira’s death “devastating” and “a painful reminder that the crisis shown in our film is continuing.” American trauma surgeon Feroz Sidhwa, who operated in Gaza alongside both Palestinian surgeons, called the strike “an unforgivable crime.”
The film follows three American doctors — Tarek Ahmad, Mark Perlmutter and Feroz Sidhwa — who volunteered at Nasser and, after returning to the United States, began speaking about what they had witnessed. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2026. On the day of the strike, it topped the list of nominees for the Cinema Eye Honors documentary awards, with seven nominations.
The United Nations said it was “deeply alarmed” by the strike on the hospital, while the film’s distributor called for accountability for the destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system.
Photo: Anadolu, Watermelon Pictures
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