Episcopal Church protests closure of Gaza hospital by Israeli army

The Episcopal Church of Jerusalem on Monday protested the closure of the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City following Israeli evacuation orders.

In a statement, the church said the hospital was "compelled to close" by the evacuation orders and military operations in the city.

"We regret to announce that the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital has been forced to close by the Israeli army," the statement said.

The Israeli military ordered Palestinian residents of the neighborhoods of Sabra, Rimal, Tel al-Hawa, and Daraj to evacuate immediately to Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.

On Sunday, the hospital director, Suhaila Tarazi, said a large amount of firing from Israeli drones occurred in the immediate vicinity of the hospital.

"This was followed by an Israeli army announcement that the area had been declared a red zone and that everyone should immediately evacuate all the buildings, including everyone in the hospital," the statement said.

"As a result, all vulnerable people who took refuge on the hospital grounds, staff and all patients were forced to leave it, and this inevitably exposes the wounded and sick to great danger," the church said.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.

Nearly 38,200 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 87,900 others injured, according to local health authorities.

Nine months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.