Cairo, September 23, 2025: Gaza’s health ministry said on Tuesday that two hospitals in Gaza City have been forced to suspend operations after sustaining damage amid Israel’s escalating ground offensive and continued bombardment.
According to the ministry, Al-Rantissi Children’s Hospital was badly damaged in an Israeli strike a few days ago, while nearby attacks around the Eye Hospital forced that facility to halt services as well.
“The occupation deliberately and systematically targets the healthcare system in the Gaza governorate as part of its genocidal policy against the Strip,” the ministry said, adding that safe access routes for patients and the wounded no longer exist.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
Separately, Jordan’s armed forces announced the relocation of their long-running field hospital from Gaza City’s Tel Al-Hawa neighborhood to Khan Younis, citing safety concerns for medical staff.
Jordan’s state news agency Petra reported that the hospital, which has served residents for more than 16 years, was repeatedly subjected to bombardment, damaging equipment and disrupting services.
Residents said Israeli tanks advanced further into the Sheikh Radwan area and Jala Street in northern Gaza City on Monday, while in Tel Al-Hawa in the southeast, tanks pushed westward. Witnesses reported Israeli forces using explosive-laden vehicles, detonated remotely, to destroy dozens of houses in both neighborhoods.
Israel describes Gaza City as Hamas’ last stronghold nearly two years into the war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed his determination to “eliminate Hamas, secure the release of hostages and ensure Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel” during a meeting in Tel Aviv with Defense Minister Israel Katz and Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, his office said.
The latest offensive has heightened concerns among families of Israeli hostages still in Gaza. Of the 48 hostages believed to remain in captivity, around 20 are thought to be alive.
On Monday, Hamas’ armed wing released a video of 24-year-old Israeli hostage Alon Ohel, last seen in a video dated September 5. His family confirmed his identity but did not authorize the publication of the footage. Rights groups have condemned such hostage videos as inhumane and tantamount to war crimes, while Israeli officials describe them as psychological warfare.
Meanwhile, local health authorities reported at least 25 Palestinian deaths across the enclave on Monday, most of them in Gaza City.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacks killed 1,200 people in Israel and 251 others were taken hostage, according to Israeli figures. In response, Israel’s two-year-long military campaign has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and left Gaza’s population displaced, starving, and much of its infrastructure reduced to rubble, according to Gazan health authorities.
