Gaza hospital hit as Israel intensifies assault

An Israeli air strike early Sunday heavily damaged one of the few functioning hospitals in Gaza, as the Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas “command and control center” operating from within the facility.

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Since the outbreak of war, tens of thousands of Gazans have sought refuge in hospitals across the territory, many of which have suffered severe damage in 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 signaled plans to expand their campaign.

It also comes after the United Nations warned that medicines and related supplies are rapidly running out in Gaza as casualties surge.

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