April 13 (UPI) — A hospital in Gaza was intentionally hit by the Israeli military on Palm Sunday prompting widespread condemnations from Christian groups in the Middle East.
The Israeli Defense Forces claimed in a statement Sunday that it had dismantled an alleged Hamas “command and control center” operating inside the al-Ahli Hospital.
Without publishing evidence, the IDF claimed Hamas fighters used the hospital to “plan and execute terror attacks” against Israel. Israel’s previous claims that hospitals have been used by Hamas have been refuted by authorities and questioned by the media.
“Despite the IDF repeatedly stating that military activity within medical facilities in Gaza must stop, Hamas continues to blatantly violate international law and abuse the civilian population,” Israel claimed Sunday.
The hospital is administered by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, a regional diocese of the Anglican Communion representing Anglican and Episcopal Christians across the Middle East. The church condemned Israel’s attack on the hospital.
“The twin strikes demolished the two-story genetic laboratory and damaged the pharmacy and the emergency department buildings. It also resulted in other collateral damage to the surrounding buildings, including the church building of St. Philip’s,” the diocese said.
The diocese said Israel ordered the evacuation of the hospital just 20 minutes before the bombing and that one child who suffered a prior head injury died during the evacuation process.
“The Diocese of Jerusalem is 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,” it said in its statement.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, one of the world’s oldest and most important Christian institutions, likewise condemned the attack.
“The al-Ahli Arab Baptist Hospital in Gaza, a place consecrated to healing and long rooted in the Christian vocation of mercy, was struck by an Israeli air assault that rendered its emergency and other critical departments inoperative,” the patriarchate said.
The patriarchate said the hospital “stood as one of the last beacons of medical hope in Gaza” while institutions have been “systematically destroyed.”
“Yet even amidst devastation, the light of faith remains unextinguished. In Gaza’s Zaytun Quarter, within the heart of the Old City, the historic Church of Saint Porphyrius held Palm Sunday prayers — quiet, steadfast, and full of grace — affirming that the witness of Christ’s peace endures, even when sorrow surrounds the sanctuary,” the patriarchate said.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, which operates in the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank, joined in the condemnations and went further to condemn the “disastrous blocking of humanitarian aid, especially as we begin Holy Week.”
The Roman Catholic Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which holds the authority of the Vatican in the Holy Land, has not directly addressed Israel’s latest attack, but has long vocalized support for Gaza.
British Foreign Minister David Lammy also decried Israel’s “deplorable” actions and noted Sunday that Israel has “repeatedly” attacked the hospital since the war began with such attacks on medical facilities leading to “degraded access to healthcare in Gaza.”
“These deplorable attacks must end,” Lammy said. “Diplomacy not more bloodshed is how we will achieve a lasting peace.”
