An Israeli airstrike has destroyed parts of the last functioning hospital in Gaza City, the Hamas-run health ministry said.
Witnesses said the intensive care and surgical wards of the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital were destroyed in the attack, the BBC reported.
A video posted online showed huge flames and smoke billowing from the hospital after missiles hit the two-storey building. People, including some patients still in hospital beds, were filmed rushing from the scene.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the hospital contained a “command and control centre used by Hamas”. There were no reports of casualties, according to Gaza’s civil emergency services.
The health ministry said the building was “completely destroyed”, leading to the forced displacement of patients and hospital staff.
The IDF said it had “taken steps to mitigate harm to civilians or the hospital compound, including issuing advanced warnings in the area of terrorist infrastructure, the use of precision munitions and aerial surveillance”.
A local journalist, who worked at the hospital, said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) called a doctor working in the emergency department and asked them to evacuate the hospital immediately.
“All patients and exiles must go out to a safe distance,” the official reportedly said.
“You only have 20 minutes to go.”
Footage on social media showed staff and patients leaving the building while it was still dark outside.
Dozens of Palestinians, including women and children, were also seen fleeing the courtyard inside the hospital where they sought shelter.
Al-Ahli – a small medical facility before the war – is now the only hospital still operating in Gaza City following the destruction of Al-Shifa Medical Complex and hospitals in the northern part of the Strip.
In a statement, the Hamas-run government media office condemned the attack.
“Israel is committing a terrible crime by targeting Al-Ahli Hospital, which houses hundreds of patients and medical staff,” it said.
In October 2023, an attack on the same hospital killed hundreds of people.
The Israeli military launched a campaign to destroy Hamas in response to an unprecedented cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.
Since then, more than 50,933 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the health ministry. Of these, 1,563 have been killed since March 18, when Israel resumed its offensive in the Gaza Strip, the ministry said.
