An Israeli airstrike on a residential apartment directly adjacent to a Christian-run hospital in the centre of Gaza City damaged hospital facilities on July 29, a Catholic mission agency has reported. Source: OSV News.
The Catholic Near East Welfare Association-Pontifical Mission in Lebanon and Syria said the strike shattered windows and doors inside the hospital and damaged an elevator serving the diagnostic centre.
Although the hospital was not directly hit, staff said the strike caused fear among patients and medical workers.
“There was also a significant psychological impact on our medical teams,” Mousa Ayad, a manager at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, said.
Mr Ayad said the hospital is located close to the so-called “Yellow Line”, the Israeli-controlled area inside Gaza established after the October 2025 ceasefire.
“The repeated explosions create confusion among medical staff and place additional psychological pressure on patients,” he said.
Asked whether the hospital could become a target, Mr Ayad said no one could anticipate where the next strike will fall.
“This is war, and no one knows where the next danger will be. But given the hospital’s humanitarian and medical role, we do not believe that the hospital is the intended target,” Ayad added.
He said despite the ceasefire, Gaza’s health sector has seen little recovery.
“The situation has not improved significantly. Hospitals continue to face shortages of medical supplies, equipment and essential consumables,” he said. “Thousands of patients remain on waiting lists for surgery, while many others still need to travel outside Gaza for specialised treatment.”
The Israeli military has been ordering residents to leave entire residential areas before airstrikes, without Gazans being told which building will be targeted.
The warnings often cover neighbourhoods containing dozens of residential buildings and displacement shelters, leaving residents uncertain about where the strike will occur and creating widespread fear and panic.
Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for Gaza’s Civil Defence, told CNEWA that “the policy forces entire communities to flee without knowing whether their own homes are at risk”.
Mr Basal said the July 29 strike was especially dangerous because it occurred next to both a functioning hospital and a site sheltering displaced people.
He said Civil Defence crews were unable to immediately reach the location because responders feared a second strike.
FULL STORY
Israeli strike damages Christian-run hospital in Gaza (By Diaa Ostaz, CNEWA One Magazine via OSV News)
