Chicago – April 13, 2025
1. Israeli Strikes Hit Gaza Hospital and Kill Civilians
Early Sunday, an Israeli airstrike targeted Al-Ahli Hospital in northern Gaza, prompting the evacuation of patients. The Gaza health ministry reported that one patient died during the evacuation due to lack of urgent care. The hospital, affiliated with the Diocese of Jerusalem, was hit on Palm Sunday. Hours later, another airstrike in Deir al-Balah struck a vehicle, killing at least seven people, including six brothers and their friend.
Israel claimed the hospital was being used by Hamas as a command center to coordinate attacks on civilians and soldiers. It said steps were taken to reduce harm, including warnings, precise munitions, and aerial surveillance. Dr. Fadel Naim, director of Al-Ahli, confirmed receiving a warning and reported extensive damage to the emergency room, pharmacy, and surrounding buildings, affecting over 100 patients and many staff. The health ministry said outpatient wards and labs were destroyed, with damage to the emergency section.
2. Intensified Offensive and Humanitarian Impact
Israel’s defense minister announced plans to escalate military operations across Gaza, advising civilians to evacuate from combat zones. The military also completed the Morag corridor, isolating Rafah in the south and signaling a wider expansion of the offensive. Israel continues to pressure Hamas to release the remaining 59 hostages, with 24 believed alive, while pushing for new ceasefire agreements.
Medical facilities have repeatedly come under Israeli fire throughout the 18-month conflict, with Israel accusing Hamas of using hospitals as cover. Last month, a strike on Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis killed two and caused a major fire. Since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack that killed 1,200 people and took 250 hostages, Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
