Gaza’s last functioning hospital bombed as Israel escalates offensive

An Israeli airstrike destroyed critical sections of Al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital, the last fully operational medical facility in Gaza City, forcing evacuations with just 18 to 20 minutes’ notice and leaving hundreds of critically ill patients without care. Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos as staff rushed to move patients into the streets amid freezing temperatures, leading to the death of at least one child who succumbed to oxygen deprivation and hypothermia.

The strike, which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claims targeted a Hamas “command-and-control complex” but provided no evidence for, further cripples a healthcare system already on the brink of collapse after months of attacks. At least 36 hospitals in Gaza have been bombed by Israeli forces, with 37% of essential drugs out of stock and 80,000 diabetic patients cut off from treatment, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.

The attack on Al-Ahli—also known as the Baptist Hospital, Gaza’s oldest Christian medical facility—left its surgery building, oxygen generation station, and genetic laboratory in ruins. Video footage showed flames engulfing the hospital’s emergency ward as staff and displaced civilians fled for their lives. Khalil Bakr, who escaped with his three injured daughters, recounted to BBC Arabic: “Only two minutes separated us from death.”

Gaza’s civil defense agency reported that the rushed evacuation forced critically ill patients into the streets without oxygen or proper medical supervision. Among the dead was a child with a head injury, as confirmed by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which runs the hospital.

A woman sheltering in the hospital, whose husband was undergoing treatment, described the horror to Middle East Eye: “I just wanted to rest… the whole day was filled with the screams of children with severed [body parts]… these sights can drive a person to insanity.”

The IDF insists the hospital housed Hamas operatives, but independent investigators, including the World Health Organization (WHO), found no evidence of military activity. Under the Geneva Conventions, hospitals are protected spaces, and targeting them constitutes a potential war crime.

Yet, Israel has systematically degraded Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure. In March 2024, its military raided Al-Shifa Hospital—Gaza’s largest—killing dozens and arresting medical staff. Kamal Adwan Hospital, the last operational facility in northern Gaza before its bombing in December 2024, was left in ruins after Israeli forces set fire to its entrances and detained its director, Dr. Hussam Abu Safia.