AHLI ARAB HOSPITAL CURRENT SNAPSHOT

October 7, 2023-June 10, 2024

☩ Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City is owned and operated by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. Long before the current war, the people of Gaza suffered from conditions that we would call unlivable – very little clean drinking water, unemployment soaring at above 80 percent, and for most families, just two hours of electricity every day.  Over 1.4 million Gazans have been displaced due to unrelenting bombardments since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war in Fall of 2023, many of whom now reside in over-crowded tents and shelters that suffer from unsafe living conditions and a lack of key infrastructure. Due to the severity of the ongoing humanitarian crisis, Gaza has seen a sharp increase in communicable diseases, malnutrition, famine, and an astounding number of war-related injuries (over 70,000 wounded and over 35,000 killed). Conversely, due to military operations throughout humanitarian zones, Gaza has also seen a sharp decline in available medical infrastructure. 

Despite constant turmoil, Ahli remains as one of the few hospitals in northern Gaza caring for the sick and wounded. Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, Ahli Arab Hospital has been struck twice by missiles. On October 17, 2023, Ahli hospital suffered the singular bloodiest event in Gaza since war’s onset. In March 2024, an air drop of humanitarian aid hit Ahli’s rooftop solar panels, disrupting power to several units. Despite these extraordinary, temporary setbacks, intermittent military occupation, and devastating, life-threatening circumstances, the inspirational medical team and staff at Ahli Arab Hospital continue to persevere and work tirelessly for the sick, injured, and others in need while many of Gaza’s other medical facilities have been forced to shutter.

Ahli, an 80-bed hospital, faces a staggering influx of patients as the conflict rages on, consistently receiving 300 new cases per day, many of whom are seeking their state-of-the-art burn unit and operating theaters. The facility is stretched well beyond capacity, necessitating the utilization of all available spaces within the building to accommodate the growing need for medical care, including the on-site library, pharmacy, and chapel. Despite the increased strain on its exhausted staff and resources, the hospital maintains partial functionality through the support of long-standing relationships with local suppliers for medical consumables, though supply deliveries remain infrequent without a consistent cadence. 

In early April 2024, a number of Ahli Hospital’s dedicated doctors and staff who were displaced by Israeli Defense Force (IDF) operations in Gaza City late last year established an outreach clinic in Rafah, a city heavily populated with refugees and located in the southernmost region of the Gaza Strip. Before IDF military operations began in Rafah in May 2024, it had become home to 1.4 million Gazans forced to flee the relentless onslaught of bombardments and fighting in the central and northern sectors of the Strip.

The infrastructure and social services in Rafah, essentially a tent city lacking adequate access to clean water, waste management, and other key systems, are overwhelmed by the task of supporting even a fraction of its population. Witnessing firsthand the acute need for medical services in Rafah, the compassionate team from Ahli Hospital mobilized, inspired by the unconquerable spirit of Ahli’s healing mission. Together, they opened an outreach clinic, a symbol of hope amidst adversity, to offer vital medical services to thousands of displaced Palestinians who have endured profound loss. The May 2024 bombardments and ground incursion in Rafah catastrophically devastated the already beleaguered city, further underscoring the need for the outreach clinic’s now overwhelmed services. This situation is currently evolving.

The Ahli Outreach Clinic in Rafah is a reminder that the care and compassion delivered by Ahli’s remarkable medical staff is not confined to the walls of the hospital in Gaza City.

Thank you for your ongoing support and your trust in our mission. Your donations are the lifeline that makes this critical work possible.

Relevant Blog Posts

October 7 Urgent Plea from Suhaila Tarazi, General Director of Ahli Hospital:

First post after the war broke – October 11, 2023

Ahli’s first strike on October 14, 2023

Ahli’s second strike October 17, 2023

Comprehensive post on Ahli from October through the end of November and first damage report

February – Ahli Hospital

Anglican Journal Article with Suhaila Tarazi – March 2024

April – Ahli Hospital’s New Outreach Clinic in Rafah

Relevant Videos from Bearing Witness

Luke 8:34-48 Gospel Reflection by Bishop Anne Hodges-Copple, AFEDJ Board Chair

Christian Witness, Ahli Arab Hospital

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ABOUT THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF JERUSALEM ☩

The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem supports 28 parishes with 30 priests and 7,000 Anglicans. The diocese also owns and operates 35 humanitarian institutions, schools, hospitals in Gaza and the West Bank, vocational training centers, clinics, centers for children with disabilities, and homes for the elderly throughout Palestine, Israel, Jordan, and Lebanon and Syria. 

Under the leadership of the Most Rev. Hosam E. Naoum, Anglican Archbishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, these institutions embody the values of equity, justice, and respect for the dignity of all people they serve. All institutions welcome people irrespective of their religion, ethnicity, or ability to pay. Many of the institutions are more than 100 years old. They employ 1800 people working in five countries. The positive impact of these institutions on their local communities is immense despite the incredible challenges posed by operating in a region besieged by unrelenting conflict.