Israeli airstrike destroys medical warehouses near hospital in central Gaza

Israeli fighter jets struck medical warehouses near a hospital in the central Gaza Strip early Saturday, destroying at least half of the facilities and extensively damaging nearby tents sheltering displaced Palestinians, witnesses said.

Witnesses told Anadolu that the Israeli army targeted the warehouses next to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, completely destroying two of them and the critical medical supplies within and setting fire to dozens of tents erected nearby.

The attack caused fear and panic among patients, displaced people, and residents in the vicinity of the hospital, they added.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

According to the witnesses, the Israeli army issued an evacuation warning for the area only minutes before the strike.

– Vital medicines, supplies destroyed

The Gaza Health Ministry condemned what it called a “direct and systematic” Israeli attack on the warehouses, adding: “The destructive force of the missiles used completely erased two of the four warehouses at the targeted site and caused extensive damage to the other two.”

The strike also severely damaged the hospital’s adjacent outpatient clinic building and destroyed vital quantities of medical consumables and supplies directly linked to saving patients’ lives, it added in a statement.

According to the ministry, the early morning attack caused widespread panic among patients, their companions, and medical personnel.

It accused Israel of continuing to destroy what remains of Gaza’s health system while restricting the entry of medicines and medical supplies and preventing thousands of patients and injured people from traveling abroad for treatment.

The ministry called on the international community and UN, human rights, and humanitarian groups to intervene immediately, halt Israeli attacks, and protect medical facilities and personnel.

– Hospital services under threat

Hospital spokesperson Khalil al-Daqran told Anadolu that the attack destroyed a warehouse containing medicines and medical consumables belonging to the hospital.

“The bombing caused the loss of quantities of intravenous solutions, medicines, and supplies used in vital departments, including dialysis and intensive care,” he said.

Al-Daqran warned that the destruction would have serious consequences for health services, particularly amid severe shortages of medicines and medical consumables.

The attack damaged the hospital wall and surrounding buildings and left a crater more than 20 meters (65 feet) deep, he added.

The warehouse was a temporary structure built from metal sheets because construction materials were unavailable due to Israel’s blockade and restrictions on their entry into Gaza, according to the spokesperson.

While no financial estimate of the losses was immediately available, al-Daqran said all the medicines and medical supplies stored inside the warehouse had been destroyed.

He described the attack as part of a “policy targeting the health system in the Gaza Strip” and warned that the loss of the supplies threatened patients’ lives.

“Targeting health facilities contravenes the rules of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions, which stipulate the protection of medical facilities during conflicts,” he said.

Around 50% of Gaza’s health sector operating capacity has been put out of service due to the destruction of facilities and persistent shortages of medicines and medical supplies, al-Daqran added.

– ‘We rushed out carrying our children’

Umm Mohammed Wadi, a displaced woman who has lived in a camp beside the hospital since the war began, said residents were asleep when they heard calls ordering them to evacuate immediately.

“I started screaming to wake people up after hearing the warning. We rushed out carrying our children, and only minutes later the strike occurred and the tents were completely destroyed,” she told Anadolu while looking at what remains of her tent.

“Only medicines buried beneath the rubble remain, while medical supplies were scattered across the area by the force of the explosion,” she said.

Wadi said children in the camp live in constant fear and wake at night to the sound of attacks and evacuation warnings, while older people and patients struggle to flee.

“This is the 13th time my children and I have survived since the war began. Every time, we lose our tents and start again,” she added.

The displaced residents remained outdoors until dawn after evacuating the camp, uncertain where they could go, she said.

“All we want is to live safely like the rest of the world’s people,” Wadi said. “Where should we go? There is no ceasefire. Every day, young people are killed, and children, women and older people die.”

– Up to 60 tents destroyed

Another displaced resident, Abu Ayman, said neighbors woke the camp’s residents just minutes before the airstrike, allowing them precious little time to flee before the attacks.

“When we returned, we found dozens of tents leveled,” he told Anadolu. “Around 1,000 displaced people lived here, and 50 to 60 tents were completely destroyed.”

He described the destruction as “unprecedented,” saying the crater left by the explosion demonstrated the force of the attack.

Abdulsalam Hamdan, another displaced Palestinian, said his family left its tent after hearing the evacuation warnings and sought shelter inside the nearby hospital.

“When we returned, we found nothing. Our bedding and belongings were under the rubble,” he said.

“Everything you see here is medical equipment and medicine, yet the entire place was destroyed.”

-Healthcare system suffering under blockade, severe shortages

The attack came as Gaza’s health sector continues to face an Israeli blockade and severe shortages of medicines and medical supplies. Tight restrictions on their entry have further undermined hospitals’ ability to meet the needs of patients and the wounded.

US President Donald Trump announced early Friday that an agreement had been reached for the complete disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza, with Israeli forces set to withdraw in phases as the process advances.

Despite a ceasefire that took effect last October, Israel has continued daily attacks across Gaza, killing 1,209 Palestinians and injuring 3,943 others, most of them women and children, while causing widespread destruction.

With US support, Israel launched a genocide in Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023, killing more than 73,000 Palestinians and injuring over 174,000, most of them women and children, while destroying about 90% of the enclave’s infrastructure.