On April 13, 2025, Israeli airstrikes targeted the al-Ahli Arab (Baptist) Hospital in Gaza City, rendering it completely non-operational. The attack destroyed critical facilities, including the emergency department, surgery building, oxygen station, pharmacy, and laboratory, severely impacting Gaza’s already strained healthcare system.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the hospital was being used by Hamas as a command center, justifying the strike. However, no evidence was provided to support this claim, and Hamas has denied the allegation.
The hospital, founded in 1882 and managed by the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem, was the last fully functioning hospital in northern Gaza. Its destruction has been widely condemned by international organizations and religious institutions. The United Nations Secretary-General expressed deep concern over the strike, highlighting the severe blow to Gaza’s fragile healthcare infrastructure.
The attack occurred amid intensified Israeli military operations in Gaza, following the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel. Since then, over 50,000 Palestinians, many of them civilians, have been killed, and more than 400,000 have been displaced.
