An Israeli air strike on Sunday hit one of Gaza’s few functioning hospitals, resulting in the death of a child, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This incident occurred as Israel warned of expanding its offensive if Hamas did not release hostages.
With the outbreak of war, tens of thousands of Gazans have sought refuge in hospitals, many of which have suffered severe damage amid ongoing hostilities. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that a child died due to “disruption of care” at the Al-Ahli Hospital in northern Gaza after the strike. He reported that the hospital’s emergency room, laboratory, x-ray machines, and pharmacy were destroyed, forcing the relocation of 50 patients, with 40 critical patients unable to be moved.
Following the incident, the WHO updated that Al-Ahli Hospital is now out of service and confirmed the child fatality due to the disruption caused by the air strike. The Israeli military claimed it targeted a Hamas “command and control centre” at the hospital, a claim that has been denied by Hamas. Gaza’s civil defense agency reported that the strike occurred just minutes after the Israeli army warned of an evacuation, while Israel’s foreign ministry stated that there was “no medical activity taking place” at the facility affected by the strike and asserted that there were no civilian casualties.
Photographs taken by AFP revealed extensive damage at the site, including debris and significant structural damage. Another air strike on the same day in Deir el-Balah killed seven individuals, including six brothers, according to the civil defense agency.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz reiterated that military operations would intensify if Hamas continued to decline to release hostages, suggesting that more residents would have to evacuate from combat zones. Patients and medical personnel were seen stranded in the streets following the air strike on Al-Ahli Hospital. Naela Imad, who had sought refuge at the hospital, recounted the urgency of exiting the facility as it was bombed, expressing her distress about being out on the street with her children.
Hamas condemned the attack as a “savage crime,” an opinion echoed by Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized French President Emmanuel Macron for advocating a Palestinian state, arguing that it would be detrimental to Israel’s security.
Since Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, targeted strikes on hospitals, which are protected under international humanitarian law, have been reported. Al-Ahli Hospital had been previously damaged by an explosion in its car park on October 17, 2023, resulting in multiple fatalities. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy condemned the “deplorable attacks” on hospitals, referencing incidents such as the shooting of ambulances, which resulted in the deaths of 15 medics and rescuers.
The Gaza war, initially ignited by Hamas’s October 2023 attack, has led to the deaths of at least 50,944 Palestinians according to Gaza’s health ministry. The ceasefire, which lasted for two months, unraveled in mid-March, prompting a resurgence of intense strikes from Israel and subsequent rocket fire from Palestinian militants. On the same day as the hospital strike, the Israeli military intercepted a projectile launched from Gaza and also reported intercepting a missile from Yemen, where Iran-backed Huthi rebels claimed to be acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
