Israeli strike destroys emergency ward in al-Ahli Hospital
The emergency department of Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza is completely out of service after an Israeli warplane targeted the medical hospital in early hours of Sunday morning.
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According to local sources, two missiles struck the hospital’s main reception building, causing massive destruction and sparking fires in critical departments including emergency care, the laboratory and the pharmacy.
Eyewitnesses reported that the Israeli military had issued a direct threat to bomb the hospital shortly before the strike, giving patients, wounded individuals, and medical staff just 18 minutes to evacuate.
The forced eviction left many patients with no access to urgent care, as dozens were seen lying in the streets surrounding the hospital amid freezing weather conditions.
Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital was a vital healthcare center serving over one million residents in Gaza City and the North Gaza district. Its destruction marks a severe blow to Gaza's already collapsing health system, which has been under relentless pressure since the outbreak of the ongoing Israeli genocide on October 7, 2023.
Since the start of the aggression, 34 hospitals across Gaza have been destroyed and forced out of service, in addition to dozens of health centers and clinics. These Israeli attacks, rights groups argue, constitute clear violations of international law, particularly the Geneva Conventions which protect medical institutions during conflict.
Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital had previously been the site of a devastating massacre on October 17, 2023, when a horrific Israeli airstrike killed 471 civilians, including patients and displaced families sheltering in the hospital.
Located on the northern edge of the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City, Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital is managed by the Anglican Episcopal Church in Jerusalem. It is one of the oldest medical facilities in Gaza, having been established in 1882.
Al-Ahli had become the primary medical facility for northern Gaza following the destruction of major medical centers like Al-Shifa Hospital, the Indonesian Hospital, and Kamal Adwan Hospital. It had been receiving dozens of casualties daily from continuous Israeli air raids since the collapse of the ceasefire on March 18, 2025.
