Israeli Airstrike on Gaza's al-Ahli Hospital During Palm Sunday Causes Global Outrage and Humanitarian Crisis

On April 13, 2025, an Israeli airstrike hit al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, the last major hospital in northern Gaza. Israel claims the target was a Hamas command center, but the attack caused significant damage, forcing the evacuation of patients and staff. The hospital, run by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, is now out of service, worsening Gaza's healthcare crisis. The strike, occurring on Palm Sunday, has drawn international condemnation for targeting a protected medical facility. The World Health Organization and global leaders have denounced the attack, emphasizing the need to protect healthcare sites.

Hospital Hit Amid Pre-Dawn Chaos

The strike occurred around 2 a.m. local time, shortly after Israeli forces reportedly issued evacuation warnings to residents near the hospital. Witnesses described scenes of panic and confusion as patients, many of them severely injured, were rushed out of the facility in the dark. According to Dr. Fadel Naeem, the hospital’s director, the emergency room, radiology, laboratory, and central pharmacy departments were destroyed. The hospital’s only CT scan machine was also lost in the attack.

“We’ll need weeks or months to resume operations,” Dr. Naeem told Al Jazeera. “This hospital is a hub for services and includes all essential facilities. The fate of patients and the wounded is now unknown.”

Patients Flee Under Fire

Among those forced to flee was Yousef Abu Sakran, who had been sleeping beside his injured wife and five-year-old son, Mohammad, in a tent ward. Mohammad, who had suffered third-degree burns in a previous airstrike, was carried by his father through the hospital courtyard as missiles struck just moments after their escape.

“I was carrying my son, whose body was burned, and running while he screamed,” Yousef recounted. “His back was bleeding – his wounds were bleeding heavily – and he was screaming in agony.”

Another patient, 20-year-old Suhaib Hamed, who had been recovering from a leg injury sustained during the February 2024 “Flour Massacre,” also fled the hospital on crutches. “Everyone was screaming in terror and fear, just trying to survive. It felt like the Day of Judgement,” he said.

One Child Dies During Evacuation

The rushed evacuation proved fatal for at least one child. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, a young girl died due to a disruption in oxygen supply during the evacuation. The WHO confirmed that 50 patients were moved to other hospitals, but 40 critically ill patients could not be relocated due to the damage and lack of resources.

Israel’s Justification and Denials

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) stated that the hospital compound was being used by Hamas as a command and control center to plan attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers. The military claimed it took steps to minimize civilian harm, including issuing warnings and using precision munitions. However, no evidence has been publicly provided to support the claim of Hamas activity within the hospital.

Hamas and the hospital’s administrators have denied the allegations. The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem condemned the strike, calling it a “horrific crime” and emphasizing that the hospital was a place of healing, not a military site.

International Condemnation

The strike has provoked a wave of international condemnation. The World Health Organization reiterated that hospitals are protected under international humanitarian law and called for an immediate end to attacks on healthcare facilities. “Once again we repeat: patients, health workers and hospitals must be protected,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X.

British Foreign Minister David Lammy said Israel’s repeated attacks on medical facilities had “comprehensively degraded access to healthcare” in Gaza. “These deplorable attacks must end,” he stated.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry described the strike as a “horrific massacre and a heinous crime against civilians,” while Egypt and Jordan also issued strong condemnations, labeling the attack a grave violation of international law.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock questioned the feasibility of evacuating a hospital in under 20 minutes, asking, “How can a hospital be evacuated in less than 20 minutes?” though she stopped short of outright condemnation.

Religious and Symbolic Significance

The timing of the strike on Palm Sunday, a sacred day for Christians marking the beginning of Holy Week, added to the outrage. The al-Ahli Hospital is the only Christian hospital in Gaza and is operated by the Anglican Church. The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, called the attack “especially appalling,” stating, “I share in the grief of our Palestinian brothers and sisters in the Diocese of Jerusalem.”

The Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine described the bombing as “a grave violation of religious sanctity and fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.”

Healthcare System on the Brink

The destruction of al-Ahli Hospital has further strained Gaza’s collapsing healthcare system. With fuel, medicine, and medical supplies already in short supply due to the ongoing blockade and bombardment, the loss of one of the last operational hospitals in northern Gaza leaves thousands without access to critical care.

Patients have been transferred to other facilities, including Shifa, Al-Quds, and the Kuwait Field Hospital, but these are already overwhelmed. “No hospital is equipped to provide full services,” Dr. Naeem warned.

References

• How the sick and injured fled as Israel bombed Gaza’s al-Ahli Hospital
• Israel’s attack on al-Alhi Hospital in Gaza City draws global condemnation
• Israel strikes a hospital in Gaza, forcing evacuation as strikes intensify
• Israeli air strike destroys part of last fully functional hospital in Gaza City
• Israel intensifies strikes across Gaza on Palm Sunday and hits a hospital in the north
• Israeli airstrike cripples one of Gaza's last standing hospitals