Hundreds of Palestinians who fled Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip and took shelter in Al-Ehli Baptist Hospital in the hope of finding a safe place faced a great tragedy on the evening of October 17, 2023.
In the explosion that occurred in the courtyard of the hospital, hundreds of people, including women and children, lost their lives and hundreds were injured.
While the Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that approximately 500 people lost their lives in the attack on the hospital, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 342 people were injured, 28 of them seriously.
The United Nations (UN) described the massacre at the hospital as one of the bloodiest events of the first days of the war.
According to the information compiled by the AA correspondent, the threats and evacuation calls the hospital, which was founded in 1882, faced before the attack and what happened after the attack revealed the extent of the danger faced by healthcare institutions in Gaza.
The management of Al-Ehli Arab Hospital, which was established in 1882, was undertaken by Baptist missionaries between 1954 and 1982. The hospital, which was later transferred to the Anglican Diocese of Jerusalem, continued to be called "Baptist Hospital" due to its past management.
The hospital, which provides healthcare services to Palestinians regardless of religion or affiliation, became one of the doors of hope for civilians who wanted to save their lives and take shelter in a safe place with the start of Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip in October 2023.
At the time of the attack on October 17, 2023, the hospital was home to patients and injured people receiving treatment, as well as many displaced Palestinians who fled Israeli air strikes and took shelter here in the hope of safety.
Yusuf Eburriş, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, stated at a press conference held on October 18, 2023 that the hospital was targeted with two missiles on October 14 and was damaged as a result of the attack.
Eburriş stated that after the attack, hospital officials were called by Israel, they were told that the missiles were fired as a warning, and they were asked why the hospital was not evacuated.
Stating that the hospital management contacted the Anglican Church officials in England, Eburriş stated that the church officials also contacted international organizations and assured that the hospital could continue its activities.
The World Health Organization (WHO) stated in a statement on October 17, 2023 that Al-Ehli Baptist Hospital was among the 20 hospitals and healthcare institutions in the north of the Gaza Strip that were ordered to be evacuated by the Israeli army.
In the statement, it was emphasized that evacuation was not possible due to the unfavorable security conditions, the seriousness of the patients' health conditions, and the inadequacy of ambulance, medical personnel and bed capacity.
It was also noted that there were no alternative shelters for displaced Palestinians.
At around 19:00 on the evening of October 17, 2023, a huge explosion occurred in the crowded courtyard where Palestinians took shelter in the hospital in the hope of finding a safe place.
The Union of Churches in Jerusalem and the Middle East announced that hundreds of people, including many children, were killed or injured in the explosion.
The Office of the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights later published a report stating that the ammunition fell in the parking lot of the hospital and that hundreds of displaced Palestinians were sheltering there at the time.
While the Ministry of Health in Gaza announced that approximately 500 Palestinians lost their lives in the attack, WHO announced that 342 people were injured, 28 of them seriously.
Most of the Palestinians injured in the attack were transferred to Shifa Hospital in Gaza city. In the report of the United Nations (UN) Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) dated October 18, 2023, it was stated that Şifa Hospital was providing services above its capacity before the attack.
The report stated that healthcare workers had to intervene in extremely difficult conditions due to the large number of injured people brought from Al-Ehli Baptist Hospital, and that doctors performed most of the surgeries in hospital corridors and on the ground without being able to apply anesthesia.
The report emphasized that Shifa Hospital provided healthcare services to approximately one quarter of the patients in Gaza before the injured were brought from Al-Ehli Baptist Hospital, and the attack in question was described as the bloodiest incident since the beginning of Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip.
What happened at Al-Ehli Baptist Hospital was recorded as just one example of the attacks faced by healthcare institutions in Gaza.
Despite the reactions of international organizations and calls to protect health facilities, Israel's attacks on hospitals and health centers continued.
According to the latest data shared by the Ministry of Health in Gaza, 38 hospitals and 96 health centers in the region were bombed, destroyed or out of service as a result of the attacks of the Israeli army.
More than 74 thousand Palestinians have lost their lives and more than 175 thousand people have been injured in Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip since October 2023. Approximately 90 percent of the civilian infrastructure in the region was destroyed due to the attacks.
