Israel launched a missile attack on Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital, one of the main medical centers in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. The attack, carried out early Sunday (April 13), destroyed several important parts of the hospital, including the emergency department, reception center, ICU and surgery department.
Medical workers said that two consecutive missile attacks were launched from Israeli aircraft. Before the attack, a doctor working at the hospital was warned by a man who identified himself as a member of the Israeli security forces. He said, “The hospital will be attacked, quickly evacuate the patients.” After that, the hospital authorities quickly began to evacuate patients and asylum seekers.
According to local journalists, an Israeli army officer threatened doctors working at the hospital, saying, “All patients and displaced people must evacuate to a safe place. You have only 20 minutes.”
Photos and videos circulating online showed flames and smoke billowing from the hospital building after the missile was fired. Patients jumped out of their beds in panic and began to rush out. Women and children who had taken refuge in front of the hospital also left the area. However, Reuters could not verify the authenticity of the photos and videos.
Gaza’s civil emergency services said there were no immediate reports of casualties in the attack. However, medical services were severely disrupted as vital hospital infrastructure was destroyed.
Hamas condemned the attack as a “horrific and heinous crime.” The group said that Israel has systematically destroyed 34 hospitals so far as part of its destruction of Gaza’s health sector.
In connection with this, more than a hundred people were killed in an explosion at the same Al-Ahli hospital in October 2023. At that time, the Palestinian authorities alleged that it was an Israeli airstrike. Although Israel denied responsibility at the time, saying that it was a failed rocket explosion by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
After the recent destruction of Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest hospital in Gaza, the smaller Al-Ahli Hospital was being used as the main medical center for the locals.