An Israeli air strike has destroyed key parts of al Ahli Arab Hospital, the last fully operational hospital in Gaza City, according to eyewitnesses and hospital officials.
The attack reportedly demolished the intensive care and surgical departments of the facility. Video posted online showed large flames and thick smoke engulfing a two-storey building as patients, some still in their hospital beds, were rushed to safety.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed the hospital was targeted because it housed a “command and control centre used by Hamas.” According to Gaza’s civil emergency service, no casualties were reported in the immediate aftermath.
However, a child who had suffered a head injury died due to the chaos of the rushed evacuation, according to the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, part of the Anglican Church, which runs the hospital.
Evacuation and Aftermath
The diocese confirmed that surrounding buildings, including St Philip’s Church, were also damaged, stating it was “appalled” by the bombing, especially as it occurred “on the morning of Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week.”
Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry said the hospital building had been “completely destroyed,” forcing the evacuation of patients and staff.
The IDF said it took steps to “mitigate harm to civilians or to the hospital compound, including issuing advanced warnings in the area of the terror infrastructure, the use of precise munitions, and aerial surveillance.”
According to a local journalist at the scene, the IDF contacted a doctor working in the emergency department, instructing them to evacuate immediately.
“All patients and displaced people must go out to a safe distance,” the officer reportedly said.
“You have only 20 minutes to leave.”
Footage circulating on social media showed hospital staff and patients evacuating in the dark. Dozens of civilians, including women and children, were also seen fleeing from a courtyard where they had been sheltering.
‘Only Two Minutes from Death’
Khalil Bakr shared his harrowing story with BBC Arabic’s Gaza Lifeline programme, explaining how he and his three injured daughters narrowly escaped.
“It was terrifying,” he said. “The whole situation was difficult because I have already been injured. And as for my three daughters, one had her leg amputated, the other had her hand amputated, and the third had her body full of platinum plates.”
“Only two minutes separated us from death.”
A Critical Blow to Gaza’s Healthcare
Al Ahli Arab Hospital, which was a relatively small medical facility before the war, became the last fully functional hospital in Gaza City after the destruction of Al-Shifa Medical Complex and several other hospitals in northern Gaza.
According to World Health Organization Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the hospital is now out of service following the strike. In an update from the hospital’s director, he said that 50 patients were evacuated, while 40 critical patients could not be moved. The hospital is unable to admit new patients until repairs are made.
“Hospitals are protected under international humanitarian law. Attacks on health care must stop,”
Dr. Ghebreyesus emphasized.
The Hamas-run government media office condemned the air strike, accusing Israel of “committing a horrific crime by targeting al Ahli Arab, which houses hundreds of patients and medical staff.”
Global Reaction and Condemnation
UK Foreign Minister David Lammy responded to the strike, saying such “deplorable attacks must end.” He added:
“Israel’s attacks on medical facilities have comprehensively degraded access to healthcare in Gaza.”
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, also issued a statement:
“For the only Christian hospital in Gaza to be attacked on Palm Sunday is especially appalling.
I share in the grief of our Palestinian brothers and sisters in the Diocese of Jerusalem. I pray for the staff and patients of the hospital, and for the family of the boy who tragically died during the evacuation.”
This is not the first time the hospital has been hit. In October 2023, an explosion at the facility killed hundreds of people. Palestinian officials at the time blamed Israel, while the Israeli government claimed it was caused by a failed rocket launch by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which denied responsibility.
Context of the Conflict
Israel launched its military campaign to eliminate Hamas following the 7 October 2023 cross-border assault in which approximately 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 taken hostage.
Since then, over 50,933 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, including 1,563 since 18 March, when Israel resumed its offensive in the territory.
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