Israeli strike destroys Gaza's Baptist hospital, forcing patients into streets

TNA’s live coverage of the latest from the war on Gaza concludes for today. Join us again at 0800 GMT for updates from the besieged Palestinian enclave.
 

The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has confirmed that its missing medic, Assad Al-Nsasrah, is being held by Israeli authorities.

The update comes after the International Committee of the Red Cross informed the PRCS of Al-Nsasrah’s detention.

He had been unaccounted for since last month’s Israeli assault on Rafah, which killed 15 aid workers.

🚨Urgent: We have been informed by the International Committee of the Red Cross that PRCS medic Assad Al-Nsasrah is being held by the Israeli occupation authorities. His fate had remained unknown since he was targeted along with other PRCS medics in #Rafah.
📢We call on the… pic.twitter.com/l0oOxujS8G

— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) April 13, 2025

A 22-year-old Palestinian artist, Dina Khaled Zaurub, was killed in an Israeli air strike in southern Gaza, according to Quds News Network.

Zaurub died when a tent sheltering her family near the Sand Beach resort, west of Khan Younis, was struck.

She was known for her poignant portraits of Palestinians killed in Israel’s war on Gaza, and in 2015, received the Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights Award for best artwork on children’s rights in armed conflict.

Breaking | Israeli occupation forces killed Palestinian artist Dina Zu'rub in an airstrike on a wooden shelter west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. pic.twitter.com/OjANQCyJug

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) April 13, 2025

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has condemned the Israeli strike on al-Ahli Hospital, where one child reportedly died as a result of the disruption to healthcare services.

Writing on X, Ghebreyesus said the hospital was forced to transfer 50 patients to other facilities, while 40 critically ill patients could not be moved. He added that the hospital is currently unable to admit new patients until repairs are completed.

The early morning attack by Israeli forces destroyed the hospital’s emergency department, laboratory, and pharmacy.

Al-Ahli hospital in #Gaza is out of service following this morning’s evacuation order and attack - @WHO has received an update from the hospital’s director. A child died due to disruption of care.

The emergency room, laboratory, emergency room X-ray machines and the pharmacy…

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) April 13, 2025

In the wake of reported US airstrikes on Yemen that left at least five people dead, the Houthi movement has issued a statement confirming it shot down an American drone.

According to the group, a US MQ-9 drone was brought down over Hajjah Governorate using a domestically produced surface-to-air missile.

The incident marks the latest escalation following a series of American strikes targeting Houthi-held areas.

More than 250 former members of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency have signed a letter calling for an end to the war in Gaza and the safe return of captives held in the territory, according to a report by Israeli outlet Ynet.

The letter was initiated by retired senior officer Gail Shoresh and includes the signatures of three former Mossad chiefs.

The appeal follows a similar move by Israeli army reservists, who recently signed a letter urging the immediate return of the captives- even if it requires altering current military policy.

Yemen's Houthi rebels said on Sunday that a US strike in Sanaa province killed five people and injured more than a dozen others.

"The death toll from the US aggression on the Al-Sawari factory in the Matna area of Bani Matar has risen to 18, including five martyrs and 13 wounded, in a preliminary toll," the Iran-backed group said in a statement.

Yemen's Houthi rebels said on Sunday they had launched two ballistic missiles toward an airport and military target in Israel, after the Israeli military said a projectile was likely intercepted.

In a statement, the group said they had carried out a "military operation with two ballistic missiles... targeting the Sdot Micha base in the area east of occupied Ashdod, and the other... targeting Ben Gurion Airport".

The Israeli military earlier said a missile had been launched from Yemen and was likely intercepted.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday lashed out at French President Emmanuel Macron over his plans to recognise a Palestinian state.

"President Macron is gravely mistaken in continuing to promote the idea of a Palestinian state in the heart of our land -- a state whose sole aspiration is the destruction of Israel," Netanyahu said in a statement.

He was addressing Macron's remarks earlier this week in which he said that France could recognise a Palestinian state within months.

His remarks echoed those of his son Yair, who struck out at Macron in an earlier post on X.

"Screw you!" Yair Netanyahu wrote in English late on Saturday.

The head of the World Health Organisation said that a child died because of an air strike on a Gaza hospital, which Israel said had targeted a Hamas post.

"A child died due to disruption of care," WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X. "The emergency room, laboratory, emergency room X-ray machines and the pharmacy were destroyed," he added, quoting information from the director of Gaza's Al-Ahli hospital.

"The hospital was forced to move 50 patients to other hospitals. 40 critical patients couldn't be moved," he said "Hospitals are protected under international humanitarian law. Attacks on health care must stop."

A powerful armed faction in southern Syria led by defected military officer Ahmed al-Awda announced that it was dissolving itself and integrating into the government's armed forces.

"We, members, soldiers and officers of what was previously known as the Eighth Brigade, officially announce the dissolution of this formation and handing over all its military and human capacities to the defence ministry," said Colonel Mohamed al-Hourani in a statement.

Yair Netanyahu, the son of the Israeli prime minister, lashed out at French President Emmanuel Macron after he said Paris could recognise a Palestinian state within months.

"Screw you!" Benjamin Netanyahu's son wrote in English on the social media platform X late on Saturday.

"Yes to independence of New Caledonia! Yes to independence to French Polynesia! Yes to independence of Corsica! Yes to independence of the Basque Country! Yes to independence of French Guinea!" he added, apparently confusing it with French Guiana.

Macron, in an interview to France 5 broadcast on Wednesday, stated that France could take the step during a UN conference in New York in June, saying he hoped this would trigger a reciprocal recognition of Israel by Arab countries.

"We must move towards recognition, and we will do so in the coming months," Macron said.

"I will do it because I believe that at some point it will be right and because I also want to participate in a collective dynamic, which must also allow all those who defend Palestine to recognise Israel in turn, which many of them do not do."

The president of the United Arab Emirates said his country wants to support Syria's reconstruction as he met Sunday with interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Abu Dhabi.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan "affirmed the UAE's keenness to support... Syria to confront the challenges of the transitional phase and rebuild Syria" during the meeting, the official Emirati news agency WAM reported.

Sharaa has sought Gulf financial support for war-devastated Syria since he led a lightning offensive that toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December.

But nearly a week after rebels toppled Assad, UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said his government found the Islamist affiliation of Syria's new rulers "quite worrying".

In mid-January Sharaa spoke by phone with the UAE president about ways to reinforce ties and "ensure the stability and development of the region", Syria's state news agency SANA said at the time.

"Syria's stability and enhanced security are in the interest of the entire region," the UAE president was quoted as saying on Sunday.

He added that the Gulf country would "spare no effort in providing all possible support to Syria and its brotherly people in the coming period".

On its Telegram channel, SANA on Sunday said Sharaa was travelling with Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani to the UAE to hold talks on "numerous common issues".

Analysts have said the UAE is deeply suspicious of Syria's new leaders, reflecting its distrust of political Islam and fear of outsized Turkish influence in the war-scarred country.

Shaibani visited Abu Dhabi in January.

After more than 13 years of conflict, Syria's new rulers are seeking international support for reconstruction and reviving the sanctions-hit economy.

Israeli forces said on Sunday they had attempted to intercept missiles launched from Yemen that triggered air raid sirens in several areas of Israel.

It was not immediately clear if the interceptions were successful. Israel said that two missiles had apparently been launched from Yemen and that a review was underway.

Air raid sirens could be heard in Jerusalem around 1816 local time (1516 GMT).

In the early hours of Sunday, Israeli forces bombed Al-Ahli Arab (Baptist) Hospital, the last functioning central medical facility in northern Gaza, in an attack that has drawn outrage from health officials, church leaders, and survivors.

The hospital, affiliated with the Anglican Church and previously operating around the clock, was forced completely out of service following the attack, further collapsing Gaza's already devastated healthcare infrastructure.

The bombing targeted critical departments, including the emergency ward, surgical and reception areas, laboratory, radiology, and central pharmacy. Survivors say the Israeli army issued a last-minute evacuation warning by phone to some individuals nearby - not directly to the hospital - leaving medical staff and patients with only 20 to 30 minutes to flee in the darkness. Many were too injured or immobile to escape.

Read the full story here.

The Israeli military said a missile had been launched from Yemen on Sunday and was likely intercepted, as AFP journalists heard muffled blasts in Jerusalem.

"Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in several areas in Israel, after review, it has been determined that one missile was launched from Yemen," the military said.

"Interception attempts were carried out, and the missile was likely successfully intercepted," it added.

Footage released by Israeli soldiers shows them storming the village of Azzun in Qalqilya, West Bank, in January 2025.

The footage shows Israeli soldiers raiding Palestinian homes and attacking Palestinian families while they were asleep, amid a mass arrest campaign targeting… pic.twitter.com/ObMG6W0eyg

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) April 13, 2025

Two Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting al-Mawasi in southern Gaza. 

Israel designated the area as a humanitarian "safe zone" but has consistently attacked al-Mawasi as part of its deadly military operations on Gaza.

The Israeli army has ordered residents in multiple neighbourhoods of Khan Younis to evacuate immediately or face a heavy assault, in what it described as a "final advance warning before the attack."

A military spokesperson named the targeted areas as Qizan an-Najjar, Qizan Abu Rashwan, al-Salam, al-Manara, al-Qurain, Maan, al-Batn al-Sameen, Jurt al-Lot, al-Fakhari, and the southern parts of Bani Suheila.

He warned that the army "will attack with great force every area"  allegedly used to launch rockets from Gaza, urging residents to flee south to shelters in al-Mawasi - a zone Israel designates as "safe" but has repeatedly bombed during its ongoing war on Gaza.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said on Sunday that a medic who had been missing since an Israeli attack on ambulances in Gaza last month is currently being held by Israeli authorities.

"Asaad al-Nsasrah is being held by the Israeli occupation authorities. His fate had remained unknown since he was targeted along with other PRCS medics in Rafah," PRCS said in a statement, referring to the attack that left 15 medics and rescuers dead.

British foreign minister David Lammy condemned Israel's attacks on a hospital in Gaza on Sunday after two Israeli missiles Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital on Sunday.

"Israel's attacks on medical facilities have comprehensively degraded access to healthcare in Gaza," Lammy said in a short post on social media.

"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."

The Israeli military claims it intercepted a projectile that was identified as crossing into Israeli territory from Gaza on Sunday.

"Following the sirens that sounded at 15:58 (1258 GMT) in Reim, one projectile that was identified crossing into Israeli territory from Gaza was intercepted by the IAF (air force). No injuries were reported," the military said.

Gaza's Christian community are celebrating Palm Sunday amid Israel's intensification of strikes on the Palestinian enclave, including a deliberate strike on Gaza's only Christian-run hospital.

In a pre-dawn strike, Israel hit Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City with missiles, with one child patient dying during the rushed evacuation because medical staff were unable to provide urgent care, it said.

The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. which runs the hospital, said in a statement that the Israeli strike also damaged the adjacent Church of St. Phillip.

Read the full story here.

Qatar has condemned the Israeli airstrike on Gaza’s al-Ahli Arab Hospital, describing the attack on the last functioning medical facility in northern Gaza as a "horrific massacre" and a "heinous crime against civilians".

In a statement on Sunday, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said the bombing represented a grave breach of international humanitarian law and warned of the growing risk of total health system collapse in the besieged enclave.

The ministry also warned that the continued escalation could further ignite violence across the region, urging the international community to uphold its responsibilities in protecting civilians and medical infrastructure.

TODAY over 30,000 marched in Canada’s capital to demand an end to the genocide of our people in Gaza and demand a two-way arms embargo on Israel. We will march in the streets day after day until Palestine is free from Zionist terror and occupation. pic.twitter.com/ZPgE0C4goM

— Palestinian Youth Movement (@palyouthmvmt) April 13, 2025

The Israeli military and internal intelligence agency Shin Bet claimed responsibility for an airstrike in central Gaza on Sunday, stating it targeted a Hamas "command and control centre" in Deir el-Balah.

In a statement, Israeli forces said the site was being used by Hamas fighters allegedly planning operations, and that "many terrorists" were present during the strike. They added that military operations were ongoing across the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that three people were killed and several others injured when a building was hit in the same area. Local sources have not confirmed the identities of the victims.

Gaza’s Civil Defence has warned that scores of wounded civilians have died trapped beneath the rubble of their homes due to Israel’s ongoing blockade on vital rescue equipment.

"Many wounded have been killed under the rubble of their homes, which the occupation destroyed over their heads without prior warning,"  the agency said in a statement shared on its Telegram channel.

The group, which has seen many of its responders killed in Israeli strikes, said teams were unable to reach victims in time in areas like Shujayea, Abasan, Rafah, and Deir al-Balah, where they could hear cries for help from beneath collapsed buildings - but lacked the tools to save them.

"Now, they are nothing but missing bodies," the statement read. "We still wonder: When will the death in the Gaza Strip stop? And how long will this international failure continue?"
 

The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem has condemned a recent Israeli strike on al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza.

In a statement, the Diocese said the strike destroyed the hospital’s two-storey Genetic Laboratory, damaged its pharmacy and emergency department buildings, and caused further destruction to surrounding structures, including St Philip the Evangelist Chapel.

"The Diocese of Jerusalem is appalled," the statement read, noting that the latest attack occurred on Palm Sunday, as Christians around the world marked the beginning of Holy Week.

Church leaders called on the international community to act urgently, urging "all governments and people of goodwill to intervene to stop all kinds of attacks on medical and humanitarian institutions."

A senior police commander has been killed in an Israeli air raid on Khan Younis, as Israeli forces intensify their bombardment of southern Gaza.

The General Directorate of Police in Gaza confirmed that Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Ahmed al-Darbashi, who headed the West Khan Younis police station, was killed in the early morning strike.

In a statement issued following his killing, the police: “The malicious efforts led by the occupation to spread chaos in the Gaza Strip will not succeed.”

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) has accused Israel of deliberately escalating what it calls a "criminal war" against civilians in Gaza, following last night’s strike on al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City.

The group said Israeli forces issued warnings to sow panic before bombing the facility "in the dead of night", as patients and displaced families sheltered inside. "This heinous aggression is part of a systematic campaign against hospitals, schools, shelters, and tents for the displaced," PIJ said in a statement.

It described the attack as part of a broader "war of extermination" and placed full responsibility on the United States for enabling Israel’s actions. "The silence of the international community has turned Gaza into a graveyard for law and humanity," the group added.

Gaza’s Health Ministry has issued a strong condemnation following Israel’s overnight strike on al-Ahli Arab Hospital.

In a statement, the ministry said Israeli forces "bombed and destroyed" a building within the hospital compound, forcing the evacuation of patients and medical teams.

"We call on international institutions and relevant authorities to protect the health sector in accordance with international laws and agreements," the ministry added.

The Israeli military has invoked its usual justification for targeting Gaza's last operational hospital in the north.

In a statement issued without presenting any evidence, the military said it had coordinated with the Shin Bet internal security agency to strike the al-Ahli Arab Hospital, alleging it was being used by Hamas to "plan and carry out terrorist operations".

Once again, it accused Hamas of using civilians and civilian infrastructure as cover for its activities.

Under international humanitarian law, medical facilities, including hospitals, are protected from attack. This protection also extends to the wounded and sick, as well as to medical staff and transport vehicles.

Three critically ill patients, including a 12-year-old boy with a head injury, died after being forcibly evacuated from al-Ahli Arab Hospital following an Israeli strike that left the facility out of service.

Emergency doctor Razan al-Nahhas, speaking from Deir al-Balah said: "He was on oxygen, as were the two others. The family walked with them to a small nearby hospital that simply couldn’t handle the influx. They arrived dead."

Al-Nahhas said many patients remain scattered across the streets, some attempting to reach Al-Shifa Hospital on foot. "I can’t even imagine the chaos,"  she said. "So many won’t make it. Many of those who were at al-Ahli had severe injuries, and now they’re out there, with nowhere to go."

A Palestinian woman has been killed in an Israeli drone strike targeting Jabalia al-Balad in northern Gaza, according to medical sources. 

In the south, Israeli forces bombed at least two residential homes in Bani Suheila, east of Khan Younis. Meanwhile, a school sheltering displaced families in Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood was also targeted.

Following Israel’s destruction of the Baptist Hospital in Gaza City, Hamas has issued a statement calling the attack a "war crime" and blaming the United States for providing a "green light" for Israel’s continued targeting of civilian infrastructure.

"This savage crime once again proves we are dealing with a rogue entity that operates outside all international laws and norms," the Palestinian group said in a statement.

Israeli warplanes struck al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, commonly referred to as the Baptist Hospital, early this morning, destroying the reception and emergency ward.

The facility has been put out of service, forcing patients and medics into the surrounding streets.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos and despair as critical patients lay exposed on the cold pavement, with at least one child reported dead following the evacuation.

This marks yet another blow to Gaza’s already decimated healthcare system. Gaza’s Government Media Office says 34 hospitals have now been deliberately targeted and shut down by Israeli forces since the beginning of the war.