Gaza Health Ministry Appeals for Urgent Aid After al-Ahli Hospital Bombed
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Gaza’s Ministry of Health has called for immediate international assistance and protection of its healthcare system after an Israeli airstrike severely damaged the al-Ahli Arab Hospital, rendering it inoperable.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza on Saturday urged global intervention following an Israeli airstrike that extensively damaged al-Ahli Arab Hospital and forced its closure.
In a video filmed at the scene, hospital director Muneer al-Bursh stood next to a large crater and pointed to the devastation across multiple buildings.
“The central building, the pharmacy, the lab, and the only reception area—where thousands of displaced people and wounded patients were sheltering—were all destroyed,” he said.
The hospital’s church, which was also housing patients at the time, sustained damage in the attack, al-Bursh added.
“This is the Israeli occupation with its ugly face that targets hope,” he said.
“They are directly targeting the healthcare system and medical staff, brazenly disregarding humanitarian and international laws.”
The Health Ministry said patients and displaced people were redirected to al-Quds Hospital in southern Gaza City, the Red Crescent Field Hospital in al-Saraya, and the al-Shifa Medical Complex.
Hundreds of patients were inside al-Ahli when the bombing occurred.
Medical staff had been forced to prioritize care amid severe shortages and overcrowding, according to the ministry.
The hospital had been a rare refuge amid constant bombardment, providing treatment for those who had already lost homes and shelters in earlier Israeli strikes.
“Whatever remains now cannot provide the level of care that should be available,” the ministry said.
The ministry also said the Israeli military has failed to deliver or permit the entry of critical medical supplies during the initial phase of the ceasefire agreement.
Instead of advancing to the next phase, Israel resumed heavy bombardment across the Gaza Strip, the ministry said.
In its latest update, the Health Ministry reported that 11 bodies had been brought to hospitals in the past 24 hours.
This raised the death toll from Israeli attacks since the start of the genocidal war to at least 50,944, it said.
Another 111 people were wounded, bringing the total number of injured to 116,156, according to the ministry.
