Key medical facilities destroyed, Gaza hospitals ceased operation amidst Israeli airstrike

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF), in coordination with the Israel Security Agency (ISA), stated that the strike aimed at “a Hamas command and control centre” located within the hospital compound. The IDF added that the strike was preceded by an evacuation warning and surveillance measures to minimize civilian harm.

However, the damage has left the hospital’s surgical operations department and oxygen generation unit completely destroyed. “The two targeted departments were destroyed, and the hospital can no longer operate,” said a medical staff member who spoke anonymously to Chinese media. The facility was reportedly sheltering patients, injured civilians, and hundreds of displaced residents prior to the strike.

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Munir al-Barsh, director general of Health Services in Gaza, described the evacuation as chaotic and dangerous. He reported that a child being moved from the premises died amid the evacuation process, which occurred under fire and falling debris after Israeli airstrike.

Witnesses confirmed scenes of panic, with smoke and flames engulfing parts of the hospital complex. Local health officials and humanitarian groups have expressed concern over the increasing number of strikes on medical facilities.

In response, the Hamas-run government media office in Gaza strongly condemned the strike, calling it a war crime and blaming both Israel and the United States. It alleged that the airstrike was part of a broader campaign targeting Gaza’s fragile healthcare system.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s health authorities reported that the Palestinian death toll since the war began on October 7, 2023, has reached 50,944, with 116,156 others wounded. Over the past 24 hours alone, 11 deaths and 111 injuries have been reported.

Local authorities are urging international organizations to intervene and help safeguard medical infrastructure and healthcare personnel in the region, as ongoing hostilities continue to hinder rescue and relief operations.