RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and 17 other Arab and Islamic countries have strongly condemned an Israeli attack on a Gaza hospital that killed six people, including a surgeon and a teenage patient.

The attack on Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis was a “violation of international humanitarian law, which affords special protection to medical facilities and healthcare workers,” a foreign ministers’ joint statement released on Saturday said.

The airstrike hit the hospital’s surgical wing early on Thursday, killing patients and staff and wounding dozens. The attack heavily damaged operating rooms and patient wards, hospital staff said.

Nasser is one of the main medical facilities still operating in Gaza, where Israel has repeatedly attacked hospitals and the health care system during its war on the territory.

In response, the international Board of Peace set up to oversee a Gaza ceasefire agreed in October 2025, called for US President Donald Trump's peace plan to be implemented “immediately.”

The joint statement, which was also signed by Egypt, Jordan, Turkiye, and Qatar, said such attacks were inconsistent with Trump’s plan and “undermined the ceasefire and efforts to restore security and stability in Gaza.”

The ministers also condemned Israel’s continued attacks on Palestinian civilians, “including strikes on tents and other sites sheltering displaced persons.”

More than 1,600 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza by Israeli military action since the Trump-brokered truce took effect, health authorities say. Between the start of the conflict in October 2023 and last year’s ceasefire, more than 74,000 people were killed in the territory.

The devastation has left a severe humanitarian crisis with Israel accused of blocking vital aid supplies from reaching Gaza’s population, much of which is still living in tents.

The statement expressed “grave concern” that Israel’s restrictions on the delivery of aid, temporary shelters, and medical supplies were deepening Gaza's humanitarian catastrophe as winter approaches.

“Israel must uphold the ceasefire, protect civilians and medical facilities, and ensure the safe, sustained and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid in sufficient quantities,” the ministers said.

They called on the United States and the Board of Peace to intensify efforts to ensure Israel meets its commitments under the peace plan.