Airstrike Destroys Al-Ahli Hospital's Critical Facilities Amid Ongoing Conflict

The intensive care and surgical units at Gaza's Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital were decimated in an Israeli airstrike, according to Hamas. Eyewitness accounts and videos reveal the chaos as hospital staff and patients fled, while no casualties have been reported as tensions escalate in the region.

An Israeli airstrike has resulted in the destruction of the intensive care and surgery departments at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, the main medical facility in Gaza City, as reported by Hamas. Videos circulating on social media depicted towering flames and plumes of smoke emanating from the hospital structure after missiles struck a two-story section. Eyewitness accounts reported scenes of panic as hospital staff and patients, some still in their beds, evacuated the premises.

A local journalist revealed that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had contacted the emergency department’s physician to issue an evacuation order. The message reportedly emphasized urgency, instructing, “All patients and displaced people must go out to a safe distance. You have only 20 minutes to leave.”

Footage shared online showed individuals, including women and children, fleeing from a hospital courtyard where they had taken refuge. With the ongoing conflict, Al-Ahli, once a smaller medical facility, has become the only operational hospital in Gaza City following the destruction of the Al-Shifa complex and other medical establishments in northern Gaza.

The Hamas-affiliated government media described the strike as a "horrific crime," describing Israel's actions against Al-Ahli as targeting hundreds of patients and medical personnel present. This incident follows a previous attack on the same hospital in October, resulting in significant casualties. While Palestinian officials attributed that earlier incident to an Israeli strike, Israel claimed it was caused by a failed rocket launch from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, which denied the allegations.

The Israeli military's operations are a response to a cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, which claimed around 1,200 Israeli lives and involved the kidnapping of 251 individuals. According to reports from the Hamas-run health ministry, over 50,933 people have lost their lives in Gaza since the outbreak of violence, including 1,563 fatalities since the resumption of Israeli offensives on March 18. As the crisis deepens, Israel signals an intent to broaden its military operations across much of Gaza.