For many people in Gaza, the hospital that Israel bombed was a “haven of peace”

The sole autonomous, Christian-run hospital in the area is the Al-Ahli Baptist hospital, located in the heart of the beleaguered Gaza Strip. According to the Jerusalem diocese’s website, the hospital, which was established in 1882, offers free meals and medical treatment to residents of adjacent towns and villages, as well as a free program for the identification of breast cancer. According to the website, “With well-kept grounds, it is a haven of peace in the middle of one of the world’s most troubled places.” However, this refuge was struck by an Israeli aircraft on October 18 and at least 500 people were killed.

The hospital was filled with both families and individuals seeking safety as well as casualties of Israel’s 10-day bombardment campaign. These individuals believed—or rather, hoped—that the hospital’s grounds would be safer than their own houses. “People moved to our schools and hospitals in order to feel secure after leaving their houses because they believed they were more hazardous. All of them were murdered at a hospital in less than a minute, according to Dr. Ziad Shehadah, speaking to Al Jazeera.

The assault was attributed to an Israeli airstrike by Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry, but Israeli officials quickly denied any participation, claiming that a Palestinian missile that misfired looked to be to blame.

After the Hamas assault on October 7, the hospital was already in a critical situation due to an ongoing bombardment of Israeli airstrikes. Suhaila Tarazi, the hospital’s director, wrote in an appeal that “on October 7 at 6.30 am, the people of Gaza woke up scared, witnessing a horrible situation,” adding that they later realized the seriousness of the situation when the Israeli government said it would launch a massive counterattack against Gaza and Palestinian fighters in response to the Hamas attacks.

The hospital made a fundraising plea the day following, stating that it was in dire need of medications and other supplies for emergency patients who the staff anticipated would swarm their doors amid the rising violence. “The situation is really dire, and the effects on the people of Gaza are terrible, especially in the area of health. All suppliers of health services have been instructed by the Ministry of Health to strengthen their capability for responding to emergencies. Due to the closure of all institutions and the private sector, life in Gaza is paralyzed, which affects people’s access to basic necessities, including health care, according to the petition.

Despite only having 80 beds, the hospital provided its patients with a secure haven. The facility conducted around 3500 outpatient visits, 400 inpatient admissions, and 300 operations each month. It had offered a totally free training to women over 40 who wanted to learn how to identify breast cancer early. The ultrasound and mammography wards are located on two levels that were seriously damaged by the Tuesday attack that hit this cancer treatment facility. The director of the diocese’s American fundraising division, Eileen Spencer, told The Washington Post that after the strike, “we don’t know if the hospital will still be standing.”

The head of the Episcopal Church, the American part of the Anglican Communion, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, noted that during his visit to the hospital in 2018, the “staff were passionately committed to anyone who had need.”

I beg you to ardently pray for the homeland of the Abrahamic religions and for all of its inhabitants. No matter who caused the damage or who was responsible, pray for everyone who has been injured, wounded, or died. Pray that the leaders and people of the whole area may discover the path to a just peace so that everyone can live in safety and security as God intended.

Attacks on hospitals or civilian infrastructure are prohibited by international humanitarian law, and the United Nations, its top officials, and agencies have expressed horror and vehement condemnation over the targeting of the hospital and the deaths of hundreds of civilians. They have also called for holding those responsible accountable.