Israeli Airstrikes Hit Gaza’s Al-Ahli Hospital, Destroy Emergency Wing

Watan-Health officials at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital (also known as the Baptist Hospital) evacuated the building of patients after someone reported receiving a call from a person claiming to be from Israeli security shortly before the attack.

Israeli warplanes targeted the hospital’s reception building with two missiles, causing extensive damage and fires in the reception, emergency, laboratory, and pharmacy departments.

The emergency service reported no casualties or injuries. Israel has not commented on the attack.

The moment Israeli warplanes targeted Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in central Gaza City with two missiles, causing widespread destruction, especially in the reception and emergency departments, was documented.

Displaced Families Flee as Israeli Strikes Hit Gaza Hospital Again

Images shared on social media showed dozens of displaced families fleeing the area, while some people dragged their sick relatives on hospital beds.

Hamas condemned the attack in a statement issued by its government media office, calling it “a new horrific crime.”

The statement said:“The occupation has previously and deliberately destroyed 34 hospitals, rendering them out of service as part of a systematic plan to eliminate what remains of the healthcare sector in Gaza. It has also targeted dozens of medical centers and health institutions in flagrant violation of all international treaties and the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit the targeting of medical facilities.”

In October 2023, an attack on the same hospital killed hundreds. Palestinian officials blamed an Israeli airstrike for the explosion. Israel claimed the blast was caused by a misfired rocket from Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which the group denied.

While a report was being prepared on the hospital’s evacuation, Israeli warplanes struck again, destroying several buildings—even though it is the only functioning hospital in Gaza, operating with limited capacity.

On Sunday, the Israeli army acknowledged bombing Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, alleging that it was being used by Hamas for planning attacks.

Israel Bombs Gaza Hospital, Claims Hamas Used It as Command Center

In a statement posted on its account on X (formerly Twitter), the army said it bombed, in coordination with the Shin Bet (Israel’s internal security agency), what it called a “command and control compound” located inside the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in northern Gaza.

It claimed Hamas used the “compound” to “plan and oversee terrorist operations against IDF forces and Israeli citizens.”

Meanwhile, Palestine on Sunday condemned the Israeli army’s bombing of the hospital as “the ugliest form of genocide and displacement,” criticizing the international community’s inaction.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said in a statement:“The destruction of Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital is the ugliest form of genocide and displacement amid suspicious international indifference.”

It added:“Targeting hospitals, health centers, and medical teams is one of the most horrific manifestations of genocide and a blatant disregard for the international community and humanitarian laws and principles.”

The ministry stressed that the targeting “is part of a systematic Israeli policy aimed at completely destroying all aspects of life in Gaza and turning it into uninhabitable land, in preparation for forcibly displacing its residents through military force.”