On Sunday morning, an Israeli airstrike hit the Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City, causing damage to surgery facilities and an oxygen generation station for intensive care units, according to the Hamas-run civil defense agency. There were no casualties reported, and the agency stated that the attack occurred minutes after the Israeli army warned patients, injured individuals, and their companions to evacuate the building.

International law provides protection for hospitals, but since Israel began its military operation against Hamas in response to deadly militant raids in October 2023, hospitals have been targeted multiple times in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military accuses Hamas of using hospitals as command centers for planning and executing attacks, a claim that Hamas denies.

Palestinian officials denounced the attack as a “heinous and filthy crime” and accused Israel of systematically destroying hospitals in the Gaza Strip. They also stated that the building was evacuated following the Israeli army’s warning.

A previous deadly explosion in the hospital’s car park in October 2023 resulted in numerous deaths. Palestinian officials attributed the incident to an Israeli airstrike, while Israel claimed it was caused by a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, which denied responsibility.

The Israeli military is investigating Sunday’s incident, which occurred amid renewed fighting in the Gaza Strip following the collapse of a ceasefire in mid-March. Additionally, the World Health Organization reported in March that 22 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza were partially operational.

(Edited by: Roshni Majumdar)

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/israeli-strike-hits-gaza-city-hospital-hamas-says/a-72230848?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf