At 3 am, an Israeli drone airstrike directly targeted the burns department at Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, murdering journalist Hassan Eslayeh "Abu Al-Abd" who was on Israel's kill list and was recovering from injuries sustained in the massacre of journalists on April 7, 2025 in the same location.

The strike also caused extansive damage in the hospital department. Fragments found in the aftermath included the remnants of two engines, indicating at least two different munitions. Press sources reported that a suicide drone was used to kill Hassan.

Hassan Eslayeh was a crucial source of documentation of Israeli war crimes, massacres, aftermaths of ground invasions, forced displacement, and living conditions in the Khan Younis governorate, espeically during the genocide. Moreover, he consistently helped desperate Palestinian families share appeals for help, particularly those suffering from life-threatening health conditions and needing urgent medical treatment.

Israel had killed 7 of Hassan's relatives on the night of March 18, 2025, when it broke the ceasefire. His family home was also completely destroyed by Israeli strikes.

On September 5, 2024, prominent Israeli media accounts on social media launched an incitement campaign to murder Hassan because he "documented the abduction of soldiers and bodies" on October 7, 2023.

Hassan Eslayeh was regarded as a highly trusted veteran journalist in Gaza and a mentor to young journalists in Gaza; He had also provided financial assistance to the families of fellow journalists killed in the same assassination attempt that injured him.

Tributes and eulogies:

• Omar Hamad, writer: eulogized Hassan as follows: "Since we were young, we grew up following one journalist—@hassaneslayeh. We wouldn’t believe any news unless it came from him. Hasan was honest and quick to report the truth."
• Saleh Al-Jafarawi, journalist: "May Allah have mercy on you, Hassan, and accept you. By Allah, you fulfilled the trust and did not relent."
• Wael Halabi, journalist: "It's time for the hero to rest. Colleague and friend Hassan Eslayeh has passed away, his lens ever present at the heart of the [Palestinian] cause. He was a witness to the massacres, and became a martyr at the hands of the killers. He documented the pain with light, so they struck with darkness. He wasn't carrying a weapon, just a camera... and that's why they killed him. May God have mercy on Hassan and all the truthful martyrs."
• Islam Bader, journalist: "May Allah have mercy on you, Hassan. We were destined to lose you twice. No one spoke about you without mentioning your kindness and good manners. Man departs and his legacy remains. May Allah have mercy on the martyr journalist Hassan Eslayeh."
• Anas al-Sharif, journalist: "Hassan was not just a journalist; he was the voice of the people and etched the image of their pain. We knew him through his lens, which never left the field. We knew him through his insistence on documenting massacres and exposing the crimes of the occupation. Even wounded, he never stopped fulfilling his mission. Today we bid you farewell, Hassan, but you will remain in us, in our memory, in every scene you documented, and in every scream you conveyed to the world. Goodbye, you who wrote the truth with your blood."
• Wissam Shabat, journalist: 'Hassan wasn’t just a journalist. He was my teacher, the one who taught me the meaning of words and images, who planted in me the passion for journalism and the power of a free voice. He carried nothing but a camera and a pen, and his voice bore witness to the truth.'
• Abdelqader Sabbah, journalist: "Hassan is gone, but he was not just a name on the list of martyrs. He was the eye of the people, the voice of the oppressed, and the lens of truth that never sleeps. He carried his camera into the heart of the fire, not fearing death, because he knew that conveying the truth in Gaza required indescribable courage. Hassan was more than a journalist... He had a living conscience, a heart always concerned about the people's issues, and a smile that never left him despite the blood and ashes. He walked the paths many fear, to show us what the war machine doesn't want us to see. Today... we lost Hassan, but we did not lose his message. We will remember him in every shot, in every report, in every cry for truth. Goodbye Hassan, sleep in peace, you who were a voice for the people and a shield for the truth. You will always be present in our hearts and in the memory of Palestinian journalism... a martyr of the word and a companion of the story."
• Abdallah Al-Attar, journalist: "The shield of journalism had grown heavy on our chests for more than a year and a half, but the news of Hassan's martyrdom broke us... an unbearable, unbelievable, incomprehensible pain. Hassan wasn't just a colleague, he was a spirit walking among us, a rare, well-mannered, beloved, creative, and refined human being in every way. His loss is a hole in the heart that can't be mended, a void that can't be filled. Yes, you're gone, Hassan, but you're in us... in our memories, in our stances, in our laughter that's worn away by your absence. May God have mercy on you, hero of Palestine.'
• Mohamed Qriqea, journalist: "Purity, integrity, honesty and generosity are the secret of people’s love for Hassan. Every person who surrounded himself with these qualities was Hassan. We learn from you, Hassan."