Islamabad, Apr 13, 2025: A powerful Israeli airstrike on Sunday leveled major sections of Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, the last operational medical facility in Gaza City.
The assault has ignited global condemnation and heightened fears for the safety of both medical workers and civilians trapped in the conflict zone.
Eyewitnesses recounted that the blast annihilated the hospital’s critical care and surgical units. Patients—some still confined to their beds—were hurriedly evacuated amid scenes of panic.
Video clips circulating online showed the hospital engulfed in flames, with smoke billowing as patients and staff fled through the night.
The Israeli military claimed responsibility, alleging the strike targeted a Hamas command hub embedded within the hospital.
They insisted that advanced weaponry, surveillance, and prior alerts helped reduce civilian casualties.
A local journalist reported that Israeli forces called a doctor inside the emergency room, ordering him to vacate the building immediately.
“Clear the hospital within 20 minutes,” the officer reportedly instructed. The warning left little time for those inside to escape.
Gaza’s emergency services initially reported no deaths, but witnesses saw dozens—many of them women and children—running from the hospital’s courtyard in terror.
The Gaza Health Ministry stated that the explosion completely destroyed the hospital building, displacing both patients and healthcare personnel.
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The media office operated by the Hamas-run government denounced the airstrike as a “barbaric assault” on a shelter filled with vulnerable civilians.
Once a modest healthcare facility, Al-Ahli had become the city’s sole lifeline after the destruction of Al-Shifa Hospital and other clinics across northern Gaza.
This isn’t the first tragedy to hit Al-Ahli. In October 2023, an explosion at the site claimed hundreds of lives. While Palestinian officials blamed Israel at the time, the Israeli side accused the Islamic Jihad group of misfiring a rocket—a charge the group refuted.
The renewed bombardment of Gaza’s healthcare centers continues as part of Israel’s broader military operations launched after the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that killed over 1,200 Israelis and resulted in 251 hostages.
The Gaza Health Ministry reports over 50,933 fatalities since the war began, with more than 1,500 deaths occurring since March 18 alone.
While international humanitarian bodies have yet to issue a formal response, pressure is mounting for immediate action to protect Gaza’s crumbling medical system and deliver critical aid.
