Airstrike destroys parts of Gaza City hospital
An Israeli airstrike destroyed parts of a hospital in Gaza City early on Sunday, as Israel continued its military offensive in the war-battered Palestinian territory and cut off access to the southern city of Rafah.
The Palestinian civil defence agency said Israel’s air force fired missiles at al-Ahli hospital at around 2am. It was the only hospital still fully functioning in Gaza City after the destruction of medical facilities in the northern area of the strip.
The agency said the bombing “led to the destruction of the surgery building and the oxygen generation station for the intensive care units”.
There were no reports of casualties but the Gaza health ministry said one child died during the rushed evacuation as doctors were unable to provide urgent care.
The UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, was among those who condemned the strike, calling it “deplorable”. “Israel’s attacks on medical facilities have comprehensively degraded access to healthcare in Gaza,” Lammy said.
Hospitals, which are protected under international humanitarian law, have repeatedly been hit by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on 7 October 2023. The Israeli military has accused Hamas of embedding military operations in hospitals and civilian buildings, which the group has denied.
Al-Ahli hospital is run by the Anglican church in Jerusalem. In a statement, the episcopal diocese of Jerusalem said it was appalled at the airstrike, and said it was the fifth time the hospital had been targeted.
Defence
In a statement confirming the strike, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) alleged the hospital was a command and control centre used by Hamas.
“The compound was used by Hamas terrorists to plan and execute terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops,” the military said. In a statement in response, Hamas denied the allegations, calling them lies by the IDF “to “justify its savage crimes”.
According to witnesses, doctors and patients were given less than 20 minutes’ warning to evacuate the building before the strike. Video footage circulating online appeared to show people fleeing the building as it was engulfed in smoke and flames. The IDF said it had taken steps to “mitigate harm to civilians” and issued “advance warnings”.
Dr Moataz Harara, the head of the hospital’s emergency department, said of the evacuation: “The scene was heartbreaking and painful. You could see patients walking out on foot or being carried on beds, all of them filled with terror and fear etched on their faces. Women and children were screaming and crying.”
The Palestinian civil defence agency said Israel’s air force fired missiles at al-Ahli hospital at around 2am. It was the only hospital still fully functioning in Gaza City after the destruction of medical facilities in the northern area of the strip.
The agency said the bombing “led to the destruction of the surgery building and the oxygen generation station for the intensive care units”.
There were no reports of casualties but the Gaza health ministry said one child died during the rushed evacuation as doctors were unable to provide urgent care.
The UK foreign secretary, David Lammy, was among those who condemned the strike, calling it “deplorable”. “Israel’s attacks on medical facilities have comprehensively degraded access to healthcare in Gaza,” Lammy said.
Hospitals, which are protected under international humanitarian law, have repeatedly been hit by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas on 7 October 2023. The Israeli military has accused Hamas of embedding military operations in hospitals and civilian buildings, which the group has denied.
Al-Ahli hospital is run by the Anglican church in Jerusalem. In a statement, the episcopal diocese of Jerusalem said it was appalled at the airstrike, and said it was the fifth time the hospital had been targeted.
Defence
In a statement confirming the strike, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) alleged the hospital was a command and control centre used by Hamas.
“The compound was used by Hamas terrorists to plan and execute terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops,” the military said. In a statement in response, Hamas denied the allegations, calling them lies by the IDF “to “justify its savage crimes”.
According to witnesses, doctors and patients were given less than 20 minutes’ warning to evacuate the building before the strike. Video footage circulating online appeared to show people fleeing the building as it was engulfed in smoke and flames. The IDF said it had taken steps to “mitigate harm to civilians” and issued “advance warnings”.
Dr Moataz Harara, the head of the hospital’s emergency department, said of the evacuation: “The scene was heartbreaking and painful. You could see patients walking out on foot or being carried on beds, all of them filled with terror and fear etched on their faces. Women and children were screaming and crying.”
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