DayofPal– Israeli warplanes bombed the historic Baptist Hospital in central Gaza City on Saturday night, leaving the medical facility in ruins and hundreds of patients and civilians scrambling for their lives.
The hospital, formally known as the Arab Ahli Hospital and operated by the Anglican Episcopal Church in Jerusalem, has long been a sanctuary for Gaza’s sick and wounded, especially during wartime. But on this day, it became a scene of terror.
According to eyewitnesses and medical staff, two missiles struck the hospital’s reception and emergency departments, rendering the building completely nonfunctional.
The surgical operations wing and the hospital’s oxygen generation station, essential for critical care, were also hit. Moments before the airstrike, Israeli forces had issued a warning, forcing frantic evacuations, though not all patients could be moved in time.
“It was chaos,” one nurse recounted. “We tried to move the patients from surgery and internal medicine, but there just wasn’t enough time. Some of them were still inside when the bombs hit.”
Power to the hospital was also knocked out by the strike, cutting off life support for the most vulnerable patients. As the air raid sirens wailed, terrified families poured into the streets, many of them barefoot or carrying children in their arms. Warplanes circled low overhead, fueling the panic.
This is not the first time the Baptist Hospital has been targeted. In October 2023, an Israeli strike on its courtyard killed hundreds of displaced civilians, marking one of the deadliest attacks on a healthcare facility in modern history.
The destruction of the hospital comes as Gaza’s medical infrastructure teeters on the brink. Repeated bombings, a suffocating blockade, and severe fuel shortages have already shut down many of the Strip’s hospitals. Now, even the few that remain are in the crosshairs.
Medical professionals warn that Gaza’s collapsing health system is pushing the strip into a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe. “There is nowhere left to go,” said one doctor. “Nowhere is safe—not even hospitals.”
International human rights organizations have condemned Israel’s repeated targeting of medical sites, labeling it a clear breach of international law. Yet the bombings continue, and Gaza’s wounded, sick, and displaced are left with fewer and fewer lifelines.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=62050
