Israeli strikes on a major hospital in northern Gaza “completely destroyed” the facility, a Hamas spokesperson said on Sunday, as authorities running the hospital said there had been no casualties reported at the site.

Why It Matters

The Al Ahli hospital has come under repeated attacks in the past 17 months of war, sparked by Palestinian militant group Hamas’ unprecedented October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. More than 1,200 people died and 251 more were taken as hostages into Gaza, before Israel launched an intensive aerial and ground campaign against Hamas in the densely-populated strip.

The war has devastated the territory, often displacing the Strip’s nearly 2 million inhabitants several times and killing just under 51,000 people, according to Hamas-run authorities. This number does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.

What To Know

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement that “Israel’s attacks on medical facilities have comprehensively degraded access to healthcare in Gaza.” As of mid-March, 33 out of 36 hospitals have been damaged in Gaza, according to the World Health Organization. Israeli authorities say Hamas uses civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, as cover for “terrorist activities.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Sunday that the military had struck “a command and control center used by Hamas” inside the Al Ahli hospital in northern Gaza.

Basem Naim, a spokesperson for Hamas, said in a statement shared with Newsweek early on Sunday that Israel had targeted the reception and emergency building of the hospital with two missiles and had “completely destroyed” the facility.

Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry said the Israeli strike had “temporarily” put the hospital “out of service.”

The Diocese of Jerusalem, which runs the Al Ahli hospital, said in a statement it condemned the Israeli attack on the medical center “in the strongest terms,” adding that “twin strikes” had “demolished” a genetics lab, while damaging a pharmacy and emergency services buildings. Nearby buildings were also impacted, the diocese said.

Medical Aid for Palestinians, a U.K.-based charity, said on Sunday the Israeli strike had targeted “one of the last major functioning hospitals in northern Gaza providing emergency services,” and “left critically ill patients on the street.”

The organization published comments attributed to a vascular surgeon at Al Ahli, who told the charity that it wasn’t clear whether the hospital would be back up and running in the next few days after staff moved patients “to areas that were slightly further from the blast.”

The Israeli military said the facility was used by Hamas to “plan and execute terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops.”

The IDF said it had taken steps to “reduce the likelihood of civilian casualties at the hospital” before the attack, including by issuing warnings in the area.

The Palestinian Wafa news agency reported that staff and patients at the hospital received notice of the impending strike 18 minutes before the attack. The Jerusalem Diocese said the Israeli military had ordered all patients, employees and displaced people to evacuate the hospital “a mere 20 minutes prior to the attack.”

“We thank God that there were no injuries or deaths as a result of the bombing,” the diocese said. One child who had sustained a head injury before the strikes took place died in the evacuation, the religious authority said.

Hamas-run health authorities told patients heading for the Al Ahli center to instead go to the Al Shifa hospital and Palestinian Red Crescent field hospital elsewhere in Gaza City, and the Al-Quds Hospital further south.

Separately on Sunday, the IDF said it had struck another Hamas “command-and-control center” in the central Gazan area of Deir al Balah. Hamas operatives were operating in the compound at the time, the Israeli military said, repeating that it had taken measures to limit danger to civilians before the strike.

The Associated Press reported that the strike on Deir al Balah was not connected to reports of six siblings and a friend being killed in an attack on a car in the same area on Sunday. Naim said six brothers had been killed in an “Israeli air strike” on Sunday. The Israeli army is looking into the reports, according to the AP.

Several other strikes in the strip were reported on Sunday.

What People Are Saying

British Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, said in a statement: “These deplorable attacks must end. Diplomacy not more bloodshed is how we will achieve a lasting peace.”

The Israeli military said: “The IDF has repeatedly stated that military activity within medical facilities in Gaza must cease.”

The Diocese of Jerusalem said it was “appalled at the bombing of the hospital now for the fifth time since the beginning of the war in 2023—and this time on the morning of Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week.”

Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry said on Sunday: “We urgently call on international institutions and relevant parties to provide urgent protection to the health sector in Gaza, as guaranteed by international and humanitarian laws.