Israeli Strike on Gaza's Al-Ahli Hospital Sparks Global Condemnation
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A pre-dawn Israeli airstrike on Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, the last major functioning hospital in northern Gaza, has drawn widespread international condemnation amid continued attacks on healthcare facilities in the region.
Israel claimed Sunday it had targeted a Hamas command and control center located at the hospital, though it did not provide evidence to support the claim.
Hamas denied the accusation.
The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem al-Quds, which operates Al-Ahli Hospital, condemned the attack, calling it a strike on “Palm Sunday, the start of the Holy Week, the most sacred week of the Christian year.”
The diocese reported that the twin strikes demolished a two-storey genetic laboratory and caused severe damage to the pharmacy and emergency department buildings.
The Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine, affiliated with the Anglican Church, said the bombing was “a grave violation of religious sanctity and fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.”
Ramzi Khoury, the head of the committee, said the attack was a direct insult to both Palestinian Christians and the global Christian community.
Britain’s Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, stated: “The Anglican-run Ahli Hospital in Gaza is a place of healing and care for Palestinians living through unimaginable suffering. In unbearable conditions, its heroic doctors and nurses have cared for civilians who have endured 18 months of devastating violence.”
“For the only Christian hospital in Gaza to be attacked on Palm Sunday is especially appalling. I share in the grief of our Palestinian brothers and sisters in the Diocese of Jerusalem,” he added.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said the bombing forced the evacuation of patients and staff.
“We call on international institutions and relevant authorities to protect the health sector in accordance with international laws and agreements,” it said in a statement.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) described the attack as “heinous aggression” and said Israel was conducting a “systematic war of extermination that violates all humanitarian and moral standards.”
PIJ also said that Israel created panic by issuing a warning shortly before the strike. “The international silence on Gaza is forcing it to become a graveyard for law and humanity,” it said.
The Muslim World League (MWL) also condemned the bombing.
MWL Secretary-General Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa denounced the “brutal attack” and urged the international community to act against violations of international law.
Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) issued a statement calling the attack a violation of the sanctity of life and international humanitarian law.
“On this blessed day of Palm Sunday… CMEP condemns in the strongest possible terms the bombing of Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza,” the group said.
They added that Al-Ahli is Gaza’s only Christian hospital and cancer treatment center, and described the strike as “especially abhorrent during this sacred time for Christians.”
CMEP’s executive director, Rev Dr Mae Elise Cannon, said: “We stand in solidarity with Al-Ahli Hospital and all Christians in Gaza who must be protected alongside their Muslim neighbors.”
She noted the Christian community in Gaza had declined significantly during the ongoing conflict.
“The atrocities and violence must be brought to an end for the sake of all people of the Holy Land!” she said.
Under international law, hospitals are granted special protection, yet Israel has struck several during its genocidal war, claiming Hamas’s alleged use of these facilities for military purposes.
Last month, an Israeli strike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, the largest in southern Gaza, killed two people and ignited a large fire.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the hospital was rendered inoperable, and a child died due to the disruption in care.
Tedros said 50 patients were relocated, but 40 critical patients could not be moved.
“Attacks on health care must stop,” he posted on X. “Once again we repeat: patients, health workers and hospitals must be protected. The aid blockade must be lifted. Ceasefire.”
Ireland’s Prime Minister, Michael Martin, said he was “appalled by the missile strike on the Al-Ahli hospital,” which left “northern Gaza critically short of emergency care.”
“The wanton killing and targeting of civilians has to end,” he wrote on X.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry also condemned the attack, calling it a “deadly” assault on the largest remaining hospital in northern Gaza.
Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei demanded immediate action from the United Nations, the WHO, and the Red Cross.
Baqaei said that Israel was committing “genocidal crimes” and blamed key military and financial backers, specifically the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
British Foreign Minister David Lammy wrote that Israel’s repeated bombings of medical facilities had “comprehensively degraded access to healthcare” in Gaza.
“Al-Ahli Hospital has been attacked repeatedly since the conflict began. These deplorable attacks must end. Diplomacy not more bloodshed is how we will achieve a lasting peace,” he stated.
Qatar labeled the strike a “horrific massacre and a heinous crime against civilians,” saying it violated international humanitarian law.
Its Foreign Ministry warned of escalating regional violence and urged the international community to protect civilians.
Jordan also condemned the strike and criticized Israel’s broader targeting of civilians and essential services.
Egypt described the incident as a “grave violation of international humanitarian law” and called for immediate international intervention.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the attack a “heinous crime” and a “flagrant violation of all international laws and norms.”
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock questioned the circumstances surrounding the strike but refrained from outright condemnation.
