Israeli airstrikes destroy Gaza’s Baptist hospital, renders it inoperable

CAIRO – 13 April 2025: Israeli warplanes struck Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, the last fully functional hospital in Gaza City, on Sunday morning, rendering the facility inoperable.

Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported that Israeli airstrikes hit the reception building with two missiles, causing extensive damage and igniting fires in the emergency and laboratory departments, as well as the pharmacy.

Eyewitnesses reported that the Israeli military had threatened to bomb the hospital, giving patients, injured individuals, and medical staff just 18 minutes to evacuate.

This forced evacuation prevented any medical care for those in critical condition, leaving many injured and ill to flee to the surrounding streets in the cold.

According to WAFA’s tally, the Israeli military has destroyed 34 hospitals since the war’s inception in October 2023, reflecting a systematic plan to eliminate the healthcare infrastructure in Gaza.

On October 17, the Baptist Hospital witnessed one of the worst massacres during the ongoing war, claiming the lives of 471 people.

Established in 1882, the Baptist Hospital has been a crucial medical facility and the most important in northern Gaza following extensive damage to other medical facilities during the ongoing war.

Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli war in Gaza has killed nearly 51,000 people, primarily women and children, and injured 116,450 others.