The al-Ahli Arab Hospital
- Assigned persons:
- 0
- Date from:
- 00.00.1882
- Address:
- المستشفى الأهلي العربي, شارع السوافيري, المدينة القديمة, غزة, محافظة غزة, قطاع غزة, 888, Palestinian Territory
- Political territory:
- null
- Coordinates:
- 31.505042580412,34.461539123186
The al-Ahli Arab Hospital (Arabic: المستشفى الأهلي العربي,31.504900, 34.461500 ) is a hospital in Gaza City.
Its headquarters are located in the Zeitoun neighborhood in the south of the city, and is managed by the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem. It is considered one of the oldest hospitals in the city, having been founded in 1882. In Arabic, its name means “The Arab People’s Hospital”.
History
The hospital has been in operation since 1882 and was founded by the Church Mission Society of the Church of England. Later, the hospital was managed between 1954 and 1982 by the Medical Mission of the Southern Baptist Church, known then as the Baptist Hospital (Arabic: المستشفى المعمداني). Since 1980, the hospital has been run by the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem. It is supported by international charities such as Embrace the Middle East.
2023 Israel–Hamas war Rocket attack destroys medical director's home
On 10 October 2023, the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem reported that three staff members of the hospital "lost their homes completely during the bombardment of the Rimal area" including that of the hospital's medical director Dr Maher Ayyad.
Rockets strike cancer treatment center
On 14 October 2023, the hospital's Diagnostic Cancer Treatment Centre was hit by rockets, injuring four hospital staff members and severely damaging two of its upper floors, with the mammography and ultrasound departments affected the most.
Explosion
Three days later, on the evening of 17 October, an explosion occurred in the courtyard which was housing thousands of displaced people as a result of the war. This explosion led to the deaths of 200–500 Palestinians and the injury of more than 600 others, according to preliminary tolls by the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The Gaza Health Ministry said the explosion was caused by an Israeli airstrike. The Israeli Defense Forces denied this, saying that the explosion was caused by a failed rocket launch by Palestinian Islamic Jihad targeting the Israeli city of Haifa. An Islamic Jihad spokesman denied responsibility.
