Israel strikes Hamas compound in Gaza hospital, drawing criticism from European governments

During an Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the IDF struck and destroyed part of the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in northern Gaza. 

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the strike targeted a Hamas “command and control center” within the hospital compound. 

“The IDF and ISA struck a command and control center used by Hamas in the Al Ahli Hospital in northern Gaza,” the IDF said in a statement. “The compound was used by Hamas terrorists to plan and execute terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops.” 

⭕DISMANTLED: Hamas Command and Control Center 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 Al Ahli Hospital

The compound was used by Hamas terrorists to plan and execute terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops.

Despite the IDF repeatedly stating that military activity within medical… pic.twitter.com/KzqKhIpTBt

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 13, 2025

The IDF stressed that before the strike, “steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians or to the hospital compound, including issuing advanced warnings in the area of the terror infrastructure, the use of precise munitions, and aerial surveillance.” 

Israel has previously accused Hamas of using hospitals, schools, and mosques as sites for Hamas operations, including storing weapons and launching attacks from the civilian areas, in violation of international humanitarian law.

Throughout the war, it has documented the repeated use of such facilities for terrorist activities.

“The Hamas terrorist organization systematically violates international law while using civilian infrastructure, brutally exploiting the civilian population as a human shield for its terrorist activities,” the IDF statement read.

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

Ahli Arab Hospital is run by the Anglican Church, which claimed in a statement on Facebook, “A mere twenty minutes prior to the attack, the Israeli army ordered all patients, employees, and displaced people to immediately evacuate the hospital premises prior to its bombing. We thank God that there were no injuries or deaths as a result of the bombing.

The church’s statement also mentioned that one child who had previously suffered a head injury tragically died as a result of the rushed evacuation process.. 

“We call upon all governments and people of goodwill to intervene to stop all kinds of attacks on medical and humanitarian institutions.”

Later on Sunday, the IDF said it struck another Hamas command center in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza, while Hamas operatives were at the site. 

According to reports in Palestinian media, the strike targeted a municipal building, killing three people. 

British Secretary of State David Lammy condemned the attacks, writing on social media, “Israel’s attacks on medical facilities have comprehensively degraded access to healthcare in Gaza.” 

Israel’s attacks on medical facilities have comprehensively degraded access to healthcare in Gaza.

Al-Ahli Hospital has been attacked repeatedly since the conflict began.

These deplorable attacks must end. Diplomacy not more bloodshed is how we will achieve a lasting peace.

— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) April 13, 2025

After the German Foreign Ministry posted on social media, asking, “How is a hospital supposed to be evacuated in under 20 minutes?” Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a response of its own.

“We would expect a clear and strong condemnation of Hamas’s use of hospitals, not rhetoric that encourages Hamas’s continued abuse of civilian infrastructure,” the ministry stated.

We would expect a clear and strong condemnation of Hamas’s use of hospitals, not rhetoric that encourages Hamas’s continued abuse of civilian infrastructure.

Here are important facts that are unfortunately missing from your statement:

This was a precise strike on a single… https://t.co/YUXKVhdTVN

— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) April 13, 2025

“This was a precise strike on a single building that was used by Hamas as a terror command and control center. There was no medical activity taking place in this building,” the Israel Foreign Ministry wrote, while adding that the German Foreign Ministry should be speaking out against Hamas and other terrorist organizations' use of hospitals in Gaza for terror activities.