Gaza hospital forced to cease operations after Israeli airstrike

IANS April 13, 2025 142 views

An Israeli airstrike has critically damaged the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, forcing its complete closure and disrupting essential medical services. The Israeli military claims the strike targeted a Hamas command center within the hospital compound, while Palestinian authorities denounce the action as a war crime. During the chaotic evacuation, multiple hospital sections were destroyed, including surgical and oxygen generation units. The incident underscores the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where health infrastructure is increasingly vulnerable to military operations.

"The two targeted departments were destroyed, and the hospital can no longer operate" - Anonymous Medical Staff Member
Gaza/Jerusalem, April 13: An Israeli airstrike hit the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City early Sunday, damaging key medical infrastructure and forcing the facility to shut down, according to Palestinian medical sources and eyewitnesses.

Key Points

1

Israeli military claims Hamas operation inside hospital compound

2

Precision strike destroys surgical and oxygen generation units

3

Hospital evacuation conducted under dangerous bombardment conditions

4

Gaza health authorities condemn attack as potential war crime

The Israeli military said the strike targeted "a Hamas command and control centre" located within the hospital compound, Xinhua news agency reported.

In a joint statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency (ISA) said that Hamas operatives have been using the facility to coordinate attacks.

A medical staff member told Xinhua anonymously that the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning shortly before the strike.

The attack struck the hospital's surgical operations department and an oxygen generation unit, inflicting severe damage across multiple sections of the facility.

"The two targeted departments were destroyed, and the hospital can no longer operate," the staff member said, adding that the facility had been sheltering patients, injured civilians, and hundreds of displaced residents before the strike.

Munir al-Barsh, director general of Health Services in Gaza, described a chaotic evacuation conducted under ongoing bombardment.

He said a child being moved from the premises died during the process.

Witnesses reported that the evacuation took place amid smoke, fire, and falling debris.

The Israeli military said that it employed precision-guided munitions and conducted aerial surveillance ahead of the strike to reduce the risk to civilians and medical staff.

It added that prior warnings had been issued in the area.

The Hamas-run government media office in Gaza condemned the strike, calling it a "war crime" and accusing Israel and the US of bearing responsibility.

It claimed the attack was part of a broader campaign against Gaza's healthcare sector.

Local health authorities also appealed to international organisations to safeguard medical facilities and personnel.

Meanwhile, the health authorities in Gaza reported on Sunday that the Palestinian death toll since the start of the conflict on October 7, 2023, has reached 50,944, with 116,156 wounded.

They noted 11 deaths and 111 injuries in the past 24 hours, adding that rescue efforts continue to be hampered by ongoing hostilities.

Reader Comments

S
Sarah K.
This is absolutely heartbreaking 💔 Hospitals should be safe zones no matter what. Even if there was military activity nearby, there has to be a better way than destroying critical medical infrastructure.
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Michael T.
While I understand Israel's security concerns, the collateral damage here seems disproportionate. The article mentions they used precision strikes, but when a hospital becomes non-functional, that precision clearly wasn't enough.
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Aisha B.
The numbers at the end are staggering - over 50,000 lives lost. When will this end? My prayers go out to all the medical workers trying to save lives in impossible conditions. They're the real heroes in all this.
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David R.
The article presents both sides fairly, but I wish there was more independent verification of the claims. Hamas using hospitals as bases is a serious allegation, but so is destroying medical facilities. We need UN investigators on the ground.
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Jamal P.
That poor child who died during evacuation... No military objective justifies this. There has to be another way to handle these situations that doesn't put innocent lives at such extreme risk.

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Tags:
Gaza Conflict Israel-Hamas War Al-Ahli Hospital IDF Airstrike Medical Infrastructure Damage
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