Israeli strike causes over $500,000 in damage at Gaza’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Gaza said a direct Israeli military strike early Saturday completely destroyed two warehouses containing medicines and medical supplies, caused severe damage to two other storage facilities, and hit part of the outpatient clinic building.

In a statement cited by Al Jazeera, the hospital said the bombing led to the loss and destruction of vital medical materials and triggered widespread panic among patients and medical staff. The hospital estimated initial material losses at over $500,000, warning that the damage poses a serious and immediate threat to its ability to continue providing treatment and saving lives amid an acute and unprecedented shortage of medical supplies.

The hospital stressed that the attack represents a deliberate effort to destroy what remains of Gaza’s health system and constitutes a flagrant violation of the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law, which protect medical facilities.

The statement held Israel fully responsible and called on the World Health Organization, the Red Cross, and UN agencies to intervene urgently and send field missions to document the damage. It also urged the international community to expedite the delivery of medical supplies to avert a health disaster threatening thousands of patients and wounded.

Meanwhile, Palestinian National Council Chairman Rawhi Fattouh said the destruction of the medicine and medical supply warehouse at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah by Israeli forces constitutes a new war crime, adding to a record of systematic attacks targeting civilians and health infrastructure in blatant violation of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions.

In a statement carried by the Palestinian news agency WAFA, Fattouh said this attack is part of daily bombardments of inhabited homes, the killing of children, women, and civilians, and the destruction of residential neighborhoods—a systematic policy of collective punishment and the creation of a worsening humanitarian catastrophe.

He added that the far-right government led by Benjamin Netanyahu is deliberately undermining agreements reached in Cairo regarding the transition to the next phase, escalating aggression and committing further crimes, while Netanyahu continues to exploit Palestinian bloodshed and Gaza’s destruction for his own political survival and electoral gain.

Separately, the Gaza Health Ministry announced that hospitals in the Strip received eight fatalities and 76 wounded in the past 48 hours as of midday Saturday.

The death toll from Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza has risen to 73,349, with 174,162 wounded since October 7, 2023. Since the ceasefire on October 11, the total number of deaths has reached 1,222 and injuries 4,053, with 804 bodies recovered from the rubble. The ministry noted that more victims remain trapped under debris.