'We are being crucified': Director of Gaza's only Christian-run hospital hopes for solidarity from Christians in the West in the face of ongoing Israeli attacks

“Many Christians in the West don’t want to know the reality of what is happening here. They have been brainwashed since childhood,” begins Suhaila Tarazi, the director of Gaza’s only Christian-run hospital. 

Speaking the day after Israeli forces bombed the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City on Palm Sunday, Suhaila adds, “It’s hard to change their minds,” referring to the Christian Zionists who support Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. 

The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which runs the hospital, said in a statement that it was “appalled” at the Israeli strike, which also damaged the adjacent St Philip's Church.

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

The hospital and chapel are located close to St Porphyrius Greek Orthodox Church, originally established in 425 AD, which was bombed on October 20, 2023, killing 17 people.

'We will never give up'

Christian Zionism is a movement that supports the return of the Jewish people to the Holy Land, believing it fulfils biblical prophecies and is a prerequisite for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

 This movement combines theological beliefs with political advocacy, particularly in supporting the State of Israel and illegal settlements.  

Despite these and other challenges, the feisty 76-year-old Christian physician who was born in Gaza the year of the Nakba promises, “We will never give up.” 

She continues, “I think of the example of Jesus... Look at how many people opposed Jesus, tortured him and crucified him. And as Palestinians, now we are being crucified — but it can’t go on forever. Eventually, people will recognise we are human, and we deserve to live in peace and dignity like everyone else.” 

Christian Zionists, she says, who are ardent supporters of Trump as well as right-wing Israeli policy, are not true Christians. “Our God is one of love and forgiveness. He came to bring justice and help the poor and opposed killing. How can a Christian justify murder?” Suhaila adds from her home in South Carolina. She was evacuated there by the state department in November of 2023 for her own safety, yet she manages to direct a stalwart team of professionals from thousands of miles away.

No one was expecting the hospital, established in 1882 by the CMS — a Church of England mission society working with Christians around the world — to be bombed for a sixth time since October 2023, she tells The New Arab. It is one of over 36 hospitals that have been bombed and burned in the last 18 months. 

After the destruction of the Al-Shifa hospital in March 2024 and the Kamal Adwan Hospital in December 2024, Al-Ahli was the last functioning hospital in Northern Gaza.

“It was a disaster. There was a 20-minute evacuation notice that barely gave patients and staff time to leave,” she says of the attack, which the Israeli army claimed, without offering any evidence, targeted a Hamas “command and control complex” in the hospital — a claim Suhaila Tarazi vehemently denies.

Horrific images showed patients fleeing in their beds and wheelchairs, many of them amputees, as the hospital burned behind them. 

Despite major damages and the case of a young child admitted for a head injury who died when he was taken off oxygen as he was evacuated, Suhaila says she is grateful there were no other deaths. 

In addition to the surgery and intensive care department, she reveals that the outpatient and emergency wards, as well as the pharmacy, were badly damaged. The 125-year-old St Philip’s Church, converted from a church to a hospital used for patient overflow, was also hit. 

“When I saw the extent of the damage,” she says, “I felt so sad. Each corner of the hospital represents so much hard work, including fundraising, and so much hope. And of course, bombing hospitals is a violation of international law.” 

Many parts of the hospital, like the new two-storey genetics lab with special scanning equipment that was due to open in October, was also destroyed by the Israeli strike.

“It was the worst attack since 2023,” says Suhaila. 

Ongoing attacks 

The first attack on the hospital after Israel's genocide in Gaza began was on October 17, 2023, when some equipment was destroyed.

This was followed by an attack on December 17 aimed at the courtyard of the hospital where Gazans had been seeking refuge; over 400 people were killed and hundreds injured, while the chapel was damaged. 

This was followed by a third attack on December 19, 2023, when Suhaila says the occupation forces surrounded the hospital with tanks, demolished the retaining walls of the hospital and destroyed the water and sewage pipelines.

They also arrested 20 staff members who were eventually released. Just like so many other Palestinian prisoners, Suhaila says they were kept in stressful positions with their hands chained behind their backs. 

A fourth attack in May 2024 occurred when a small bomb went off in the hospital playground, and a fifth attack by M16 rockets damaged the burn unit and part of the pharmacy in the fall of 2024.  

While Suhaila says she finds running the hospital from abroad a “heartbreaking” experience, thanks to technology, she is in constant communication with her team. 

Amazingly, the hospital is not completely closed. While the ICU and inpatient department can take only limited numbers, and the only CT scan in Gaza and operating theatre are now reserved exclusively for high-risk casualties, the dressing department for the wounded remains open to all. The inpatients who fled the April 13 bombing have all returned to their beds. 

There is still some electricity thanks to a generator and water from an underground well staff dug before the 2023 war. And, only 24 hours after the Palm Sunday attack, Suhaila is already busy with a new project. 

“I have a plan for a new seven-floor hospital,” the plucky septuagenarian reveals, not missing a beat. The first phase, she says, will require $7 million to build two floors to accommodate radiation therapy services, currently non-existent in Gaza, as well as to rebuild the emergency department and clinics. 

The second phase consists of a new operating theatre and new wards that can accommodate 150 new patients, as well as two basement levels, again at a cost of another $7 million. The total budget of $24 million USD will only be for construction, not operating costs. 

Even if they manage to raise funds, Suhaila cautions, the plan will only become a reality if Israel allows the building materials past the border. 

'Looking for peace'

While she says the hospital needs food, medical supplies, equipment and other basic medicines like antibiotics and morphine, “The main thing is to convince Israel to open the borders and to reach an agreement to stop this terrible war.” 

Suhaila adds, “We are looking for peace,” as an image of the Virgin Mary behind her desk frames her face. “Enough bloodshed. Everyone is suffering... So many people in the entire region are suffering because of this terrible war.” 

Meanwhile, echoing the sentiments of so many Palestinian Christians, she says, “We often feel abandoned by those in the West. It’s because of us that they became Christians. Our church is the mother of all churches in the world. Jesus was born and crucified here, but it’s as if we don’t exist.”

A few days after our interview, scenes of Israeli police blocking Palestinian Christians from entering Jerusalem, and manhandling priests and parishioners, replaced the televisual images of the hospital burning. 

The day before the death of the late Pope Francis, who faithfully called those sheltering in Gaza’s Holy Family Church every night, even during his recent hospitalisation, said of the relentless bombing of Gaza: “This is cruelty, not war.”

Still, although the American weapons used to bomb Gaza come from a nation where almost a quarter of the population identify as evangelicals, 80% of whom identify as Christian Zionists, Suhaila is heartened by words of support from Christian leaders internationally, particularly from the Anglican Church. 

The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, said in a statement: "For the only Christian hospital in Gaza to be attacked on Palm Sunday is especially appalling.” The Church of England's House of Bishops issued a statement speaking of sharing "grief, sorrow and outrage" with Palestinian brothers and sisters.

They also wrote, “The Government of Israel has yet to provide clear and compelling evidence to substantiate its claim that the Al Ahli Hospital was being used as a command-and-control centre by Hamas. Against that backdrop, we call for an independent, thorough and transparent investigation into this attack as well as the alleged misuse of the hospital.” 

They added, “We appeal especially to the British Government to renew its efforts, through every means possible, to urge the Government of Israel to abide by its obligations under international humanitarian law. Such laws were created to protect human dignity during war. No State can place themselves above them.” 

Meanwhile, UK Foreign Minister David Lammy said such "deplorable attacks must end", adding: "Israel's attacks on medical facilities have comprehensively degraded access to healthcare in Gaza." 

“We are all Christians,” Suhaila notes, “Whether in Gaza or Jerusalem or Canada — we are one body in Jesus Christ. If one part of his body is suffering, then the whole body is suffering. And we are asking Christians in the West for solidarity and continuous praying for peace and justice.” 

(Cover photo: People check the destruction in the aftermath of an Israeli strike on the Al-Ahli hospital, on April 13, 2025 [Getty])

Hadani Ditmars is the author of Dancing in the No Fly Zone and has been writing from and about the MENA since 1992. Her next book, Between Two Rivers, is a travelogue of ancient sites and modern culture in Iraq. www.hadaniditmars.com