Israel bombs the last functioning medical facility in Gaza City – War on Gaza Day 555

, , , , , ,
Israel bombs the last functioning medical facility in Gaza City – War on Gaza Day 555
A view of the destruction at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, which was bombed by Israeli occupation warplanes in Gaza City, Gaza on April 13, 2025 (Mohamed Asad/MEMO)

Compilation of news reports – IAK staff

At least 37 Palestinians were killed in fresh Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip on Sunday amid relentless attacks on the enclave, medics said. Among the dead were six brothers, killed when an Israeli drone struck a vehicle in Deir al-Balah.

A US strike in Yemen’s Sanaa province killed five people and wounded more than a dozen others.

Israeli airstrike murders six brothers in Deir Al-Balah, leaving their father to bury an entire generation: Ahmed, Mahmoud, Mohammed, Mustafa, Zaki, and Abdullah.
Israeli airstrike murders six brothers in Deir Al-Balah, leaving their father to bury an entire generation: Ahmed, Mahmoud, Mohammed, Mustafa, Zaki, and Abdullah. (social media)

Israel airstrike destroys Gaza City’s Baptist Hospital

The Israeli army bombed the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City with two missiles early on 13 April, destroying the intensive care and surgery departments and rendering the facility out of service. 

The Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital is the last functioning medical facility in Gaza City. Video footage from after the strike showed heavy destruction. 

“The emergency, trauma, laboratory, pharmacy, and emergency radiology departments were the most affected by the Israeli bombing,” said the hospital’s director. “The hospital has gone out of service due to the Israeli bombing,” he added, stressing the need for pressure on Israel to allow aid into Gaza needed to resume health services and calling for the protection of hospitals.

A child at the hospital who had previously sustained a head injury died during the frantic evacuation of the hospital. 

The Israeli army claimed it targeted a Hamas military site under the hospital. 

“The [army] and Shin Bet attacked a command-and-control complex in the northern Gaza Strip inside the Al-Ahli hospital that was used by the Hamas terrorist organization. The complex was used by the organization’s terrorists to plan and execute terrorist plots against [our] forces and citizens of the State of Israel,” said a joint statement. 

The Civil Defense in Gaza said “occupation’s accounts of the presence of armed men inside the Baptist Hospital are incorrect,” adding that they “did not witness any signs” of what Israel claimed. 

The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which manages al-Ahli hospital, said in a statement Sunday that it condemned the attack “in the strongest possible terms.”

Founded in 1882 and operated by the Anglican Episcopal Church in Jerusalem, Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital is one of Gaza’s oldest medical institutions.

NOTE: When Israel feels obliged to explain its airstrikes (often it doesn’t even bother), it uses essentially the same words, “the site was a Hamas command and control center”; often followed by, “many steps were taken to reduce the chance of harming civilians,” and a note that it used “precise” munitions.
But Israel has yet to provide a shred of evidence to back up its claims; attacks are often carried out without warning to civilians to evacuate, and frequently cause massive damage and loss of life. (More here.)

Red Crescent reports paramedic held by Israeli authorities

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) announced that a staff member is being held by Israeli authorities. 

Assad al-Nsasrah
Assad al-Nsasrah (screenshot)

PRCS medic Assad al-Nsasrah was targeted along with other colleagues during a humanitarian mission in Rafah, southern Gaza.

At the end of March, the PRCS reported that eight paramedics were killed while attempting to rescue victims following an earlier Israeli strike. Nsasrah’s fate had remained unknown since the targeted attack on the medical team.

“We call on the international community to pressure the occupation authorities to immediately release our colleague, medic Asaad, who was forcibly abducted while carrying out his humanitarian duties,” PRCS said in a post on X.

“He and his colleagues came under heavy gunfire, which led to the killing of eight of them – a grave violation of international humanitarian law.”

West Bank Christians mark Palm Sunday as Israel blocks access to Jerusalem

Christians in the occupied West Bank marked Palm Sunday with limited religious rituals, as the Israeli army prevented most worshippers from reaching Jerusalem to celebrate at holy sites.

In cities such as Bethlehem, Jericho, Ramallah, Nablus, and Jenin, churches following the Eastern, Western, and Armenian calendars restricted Palm Sunday celebrations to masses and prayers only.

For the second consecutive year, the festive spirit was absent due to the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, where more than 50,900 people have been killed, mostly women and children, since October 2023.

In Jerusalem, the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III, Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, and other church leaders presided over Palm Sunday services at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City, attended by bishops, priests, monks, and nuns, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

However, the Israeli army denied access to thousands of West Bank Christians seeking to attend the celebrations in Jerusalem.

Wafa reported that only a limited number of worshippers, mostly from Jerusalem and Israeli Arabs, were allowed in. Israeli forces issued only 6,000 permits for West Bank Christians, although the population exceeds 50,000.

Just 6,000 Christians from the West Bank were granted entry to Jerusalem out of a population of around 50,000, as Israel imposed strict military controls over the city
Just 6,000 Christians from the West Bank were granted entry to Jerusalem out of a population of around 50,000, as Israel imposed strict military controls over the city (social media)

Violence against Christians in the Holy Land during 2024

Vatican News: The annual report on attacks against Christians in the Holy Land was presented on Monday evening in Jerusalem.

It was prepared by the Rossing Center, the organization for peace and interreligious dialogue that for years has monitored the escalation of violence against Christians living in Israel and Palestine through its JCJCR program (Jerusalem Center for Jewish Christian Relations).

There were 111 attacks or acts of violence recorded in 2024 against Christians, including but not limited to attacks against clergy. Most attacks targeted individuals, but 35 cases involved vandalism against churches, monasteries, and public religious signs.

In nearly all cases, the perpetrators identified were young, ultra-Orthodox Jews belonging to circles of religious-nationalist extremism.

The growing influence of religious-nationalist extremism in Israeli government policy has fostered an environment of constant threat for religious minorities, and particularly for Christians.

In a survey conducted by the Rossing Center, 48% of Christian youth under the age of 30 interviewed said they were considering leaving the region and migrating.

Around 77% of them stated that the main reason was the escalating discrimination and violence suffered by Christians, along with the overall deterioration of the socio-political situation.

RELATED: Gaza pastor: ‘We live in a cage’
Orthodox Jews filmed spitting at Christian tourists in the Old City of Jerusalem on October 2, 2023.
Orthodox Jews filmed spitting at Christian tourists in the Old City of Jerusalem on October 2, 2023. (screenshot)

School children flee scene of Israeli military raid in Hebron

A military raid in the Al-Fawwar refugee camp in Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, triggered panic amongst children returning home from school. The footage shows them rushing away from the incursions.

Israeli raids have been reported across the occupied West Bank, with ongoing incursions especially targeting camps.

Record-breaking U.S. Deployment in Middle East Amid Trump’s Nuclear Ultimatum for Iran

The U.S. military has carried out its largest offensive deployment to the Middle East since the Israel-Hamas war began in October 2023, according to a Haaretz analysis of open-source aviation data.

In recent weeks, Washington has sent squadrons of fighter jets, stealth bombers and large quantities of weaponry to the region – amid its ongoing campaign in Yemen and ahead of the ultimatum issued by President Donald Trump to Iran over its nuclear program.

This new buildup, first reported by Haaretz last week, marks a roughly 50 percent increase over the previous monthly peak in U.S. military flights to the region.

“If they don’t make a deal, there’ll be bombing, it’ll be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before,” Trump said over the weekend. Iran responded that it “will not negotiate under pressure and will know how to respond to any attack” (continue reading here).

NOTE: The US has spent at least $17.9 billion to support Israel’s genocide in direct aid alone. The additional buildup of forces throughout the war on Gaza – to defend Israel against Iranian, Hezbollah, and Houthi threats related to the Palestinian issue – raise the price tag much higher. 
The US also wasted hundreds of millions on a “temporary pier” off the Gaza coast in what turned into a debacle and scandal.
A plane with armored vehicles for the Isaeli army arrives at Ben Gurion Airport, October 19, 2023. (Photo credit: Israel Defense Ministry)
A plane with armored vehicles for the Isaeli army arrives at Ben Gurion Airport, October 19, 2023. (Israel Defense Ministry)

MORE NEWS:

TruthOut: Jewish Organizations Are Fighting Back Against Khalil Deportation
IMEMC Daily Reports

STATISTICS OCTOBER 7, 2023 – APRIL 13, 2025:

  • At least 51,840 Palestinians killed, 123,947 injured – including:
  • at least 50,886 killed in Gaza (~15,600 children) 
  • at least 954 killed in the West Bank (~187 children)
  • at least 115,875 injured in Gaza
  • at least 8,072 injured in the West Bank

According to Palestinian authorities, during the ceasefire Jan. 19- March 18 2025, Israeli attacks killed at least 150 Gazans, and Israel committed at least 962 ceasefire violations.

Thousands of those killed in Gaza have yet to be identified, and an estimated 11,000 more are still buried under rubble.

Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – April 13, 2025: ~1,592 – including ~1,139 on October 7, 2023 (~36 children), 407 military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza, 46 military and civilians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel.

NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries of Israelis on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldiers.

Hover over each bar for exact numbers. Source: IsraelPalestineTimeline.org

Enter your email address below to receive our latest articles right in your inbox.

You might also like: