Israeli Airstrikes Hit Gaza Hospital and Residential Areas, Killing at Least 21 People Including Children
- Victor Nwoko
- Apr 14
- 4 min read
A series of Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip on Sunday killed at least 21 people, including children, and struck multiple civilian sites such as a hospital, homes, and a municipal building. The strikes came as Israel announced plans to expand its security presence in the territory.
In a predawn attack, Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City was struck, damaging its emergency room, pharmacy, and surrounding buildings. The hospital, one of the last major facilities operating in northern Gaza, was temporarily taken out of service, affecting over 100 patients and dozens of staff. One child died during the evacuation after Israeli forces issued a warning, and emergency care could not be administered in time, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Hospital director Dr. Fadel Naim reported extensive damage, while Dr. Munir al-Boursh, the ministry’s director general, said patients were moved outside in their beds and spent the night in the streets. The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, which runs Al-Ahli, condemned the strike, highlighting that it occurred on Palm Sunday—the beginning of Holy Week.
Israel claimed the strike targeted a Hamas command and control center inside the hospital, although no evidence was presented. Hamas denied the allegations. Al-Ahli has now been struck five times since the conflict began, according to the aid group Medical Aid for Palestinians.
Hospitals are protected under international law, but several in Gaza have come under repeated Israeli strikes amid accusations that they are used by militants. Last month, Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis was also hit, killing two and causing a large fire.
Hours after the hospital strike, a car in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, was targeted, killing seven people, including six brothers. The youngest was 10 years old. Their father, Ibrahim Abu Mahadi, said they worked for a charity distributing food. Israel claimed it had killed the deputy head of a Hamas sniper unit in that strike.
In northern Gaza, a residential home in the Jabaliya refugee camp was hit, killing at least seven people, including two women. A pregnant woman was rescued from the rubble. Among the dead were Alaa Manoun’s youngest daughter, her husband, and her mother. Two other daughters, aged 4 and 7, were injured. Manoun, who suffered a broken ankle, could not be scanned because the only imaging equipment in northern Gaza was at Al-Ahli Hospital, now damaged.
Witnesses described the devastation. “Nothing was left safe inside the hospital, or all over Gaza,” said Mohammad Abu Nasser, an injured man recovering outside. Neighbor Abdallah Dardouna added, “There is no resistance, there is no Qassam, no Hamas, there is no one here. It’s only civilians here.”
Other Sunday strikes included one on a municipal building in Deir al-Balah, which killed at least three people, and another in Khan Younis that left at least three dead, according to hospital sources.
The Israeli military stated it struck over 90 targets in the past 48 hours, including tunnels, weapons caches, and command centers. It also claimed to have intercepted a projectile fired from Gaza.
The conflict began after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages. Some hostages have since been released under ceasefire agreements, but 59 remain in captivity, 24 of whom are believed to be alive. Israel has maintained a blockade on Gaza, cutting off all supplies for over a month, while pressing Hamas to agree to new ceasefire terms and release the remaining hostages.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s retaliatory offensive. While the ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, it reports that over half the dead are women and children.
On Sunday afternoon, Israel’s military said a missile was launched from Yemen, prompting sirens across parts of Israel and the occupied West Bank. No casualties or damage were reported. The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have continued to target Israel in what they call an act of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
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