An Israeli airstrike has caused significant destruction to the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, the final operational medical facility in Gaza City. Eyewitnesses reported that the strike targeted critical areas, including the intensive care unit and surgical departments, leading to a catastrophic situation for patients and medical staff.
Video footage shared on social media captured the intense flames and thick smoke billowing from a two-story building, as individuals, including patients still in their hospital beds, hurriedly evacuated the site. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that their assault was aimed at a “command and control center used by Hamas” located within the hospital’s premises. Fortunately, there were no immediate reports of casualties, according to Gaza’s civil emergency service.
Casualties and Impact on Patients
Despite the lack of immediate casualties reported, a tragic development arose when a child, previously afflicted by a head injury, succumbed as a result of the chaotic evacuation process. This information was relayed through a statement from the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which is associated with the hospital. Gaza’s health ministry, controlled by Hamas, announced that the airstrike led to the complete destruction of the hospital, thus displacing both patients and medical personnel.
“All patients and displaced people must go out to a safe distance,” an IDF officer reportedly told a doctor in the emergency department, giving a mere 20-minute warning for evacuation.
Local journalists present at the hospital described the tense scene, with footage depicting both patients and hospital staff fleeing just as dawn approached. Many individuals, including women and children, were seen escaping from a courtyard where they had sought refuge during the onslaught.
The Broader Context of Conflict in Gaza
Al-Ahli, which was a small medical facility before the ongoing conflict, now stands as the only functioning hospital in Gaza City, following the destruction of the Al-Shifa medical complex and other hospitals in the northern region of the Gaza Strip. The media office of the Hamas-run government condemned the airstrike, labeling it a “horrific crime” against a facility housing hundreds of patients and medical staff.
This incident follows a devastating explosion at the same hospital in October 2023, which claimed hundreds of lives. Palestinian officials attributed the blast to an Israeli attack; however, Israel contended that it resulted from a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, which denied responsibility for the tragedy.
The Israeli military has initiated a campaign aimed at defeating Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 Israelis and the abduction of 251 others. According to data from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, over 50,933 individuals have perished in Gaza since the onset of hostilities, with 1,563 fatalities recorded since March 18, when Israel resumed its military operations in the Gaza Strip.