Gaza hospital heavily damaged as Israel intensifies assault

An Israeli air strike early on Sunday heavily damaged one of the few functioning hospitals in Gaza, with the Israeli military saying it had targeted a Hamas “command and control centre” operating within the facility.

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Since the outbreak of war, tens of thousands of Gazans have sought refuge in hospitals, many of which have suffered severe damage in the ongoing hostilities.

The strike on Al Ahli Hospital in northern Gaza also known as the Baptist or Ahli Arab Hospital caused no casualties, but came a day after Israeli forces seized a key corridor in the territory and signalled plans to expand their campaign.

It also came as aid agencies and the United Nations warned that medicines and related supplies were rapidly running out in Gaza as casualties surged.

“The bombing led to the destruction of the surgery building and the oxygen generation station for the intensive care units,” Gaza’s civil defence rescue agency said.

The strike came “minutes after the (Israeli) army’s warning to evacuate this building of patients, the injured and their companions”, the agency said.

AFP photographs showed massive slabs of concrete and twisted metal scattered across the site after the strike.