Israeli Strikes Decimate European Hospital in Gaza: A Deep Dive into the Attack and its Aftermath
The evening of the attack on the European Hospital began like any other, a deceptively calm scene captured by security cameras overlooking the wide, paved courtyard. Ambulances sat parked, a woman walked with a young boy, and men rested on plastic chairs. This was a normal day at one of Gaza's last remaining functioning hospitals, a vital lifeline in a war-torn region.
But moments later, the tranquility shattered. People looked up, some covering their ears, others beginning to run. The courtyard of the European Hospital was engulfed in a horrifying fireball as Israeli airstrikes targeted the facility. The sheer force of the blast sent a man's body flying towards the camera before everything faded into a dense cloud of dust and debris.
.jpg)
The Immediate Aftermath: Chaos and Devastation
The scene that emerged from the dust was one of utter devastation. A man, sitting on a plastic chair moments before, scrambled to his feet, stumbling through the wreckage. Fires burned, the ground buckled, and a large crater began to form where the strike hit. Men, women, and children fled, desperately seeking safety.
Dr. Tom Potokar, a British surgeon who has served in Gaza 16 times, was inside the hospital when the strike occurred. His phone footage, filmed moments after the blast, captured the immediate horror: "Absolutely massive strike on EGH hospital... people ran on the ground." He described the smell of "acid bitter sort of smoke" and the "huge amount of screaming and shouting."
According to Gaza's Hamas-run civil defense agency, at least 28 people were killed and dozens were injured in the attack.
Israel's Justification and Lack of Evidence
The Israeli army stated they were targeting a Hamas command and control center beneath the hospital. However, when requested by Quick Smart News Verify, they failed to provide any evidence to substantiate this claim.
Furthermore, several critical facts emerged:
- Evacuation Notification: The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that their staff, present at the hospital to evacuate patients, had notified the Israeli military's coordination and liaison administration for Gaza (CLA) in advance about the evacuation. This included details about staff, arrival/departure times, and patient numbers. The WHO explicitly stated they received no communication about an impending attack from the CLA before the bombing.
- No Warning: Dr. Potokar and no evidence of an evacuation order issued for the European Hospital complex between March 18th (when Israel restarted fighting after a ceasefire) and May 13th. International humanitarian law dictates that warnings must be given for legitimate attacks on protected facilities.
- Incorrect Targeting Map: The aerial surveillance video published by the Israeli military, purportedly showing the European Hospital as the target, actually highlighted a school building 215 meters away.
Legality Concerns and International Humanitarian Law
Sir Geoffrey Nice, a British barrister and former UN prosecutor, highlighted the severe legal implications of the strike: "Hospital facilities, patients, doctors and so on enjoy special protection... under international humanitarian law warnings have to be given and so if no warning was given, it's even harder for Israel to assert that this was a legitimate attack on a hospital."
The legality of the Israeli strikes, emphasizing three key questions:
- Presence of a Command Center: Was there a Hamas command and control center genuinely present and being used within the hospital?
- Sufficient Precautions: Did Israel take sufficient precautions to warn civilians in the hospital of the impending attack?
- Proportionality: Was the expected harm to the civilian population proportionate to the military advantage Israel expected to gain? Experts deemed it "hard to imagine that an attack against a hospital within Gaza at the moment could ever be proportionate."
The "Bunker Buster" Bombs and Underground Warfare
Visual evidence from the strike, including the deep crater and contained blast wave, strongly suggests the use of "bunker buster bombs" or penetrating munitions. These weapons are designed to penetrate 6 to 30 meters underground before exploding, indicating an intended subterranean target.
Dr. Daphne Richmond Barak, an expert on underground warfare, described the Hamas tunnel network as "the most sophisticated and intricated tunnel system that has ever been encountered in the history of warfare." While Israel claims to use precise munitions and intelligence to reduce harm to civilians and infrastructure, the lack of confirmed hits on underground structures directly linked to Hamas at the European Hospital remains a critical point of contention.
Sir Geoffrey Nice reiterated that even if underground structures existed, unless there's evidence of active involvement from the hospital or its staff in allowing a Hamas facility, the hospital retains its protected status under international humanitarian law.
Ongoing Impact and Global Condemnation
The assault on the European Hospital didn't end with the initial strike. The following day, a bulldozer was hit in another strike on the hospital grounds. Engineers assessed extensive structural damage, including disruptions to water and power supply, rendering the hospital unable to function effectively.
The UN has documented at least 686 attacks impacting healthcare in the Gaza Strip since October 2023, highlighting the decimated healthcare system. The resumption of Israeli airstrikes in March and a new offensive in May have led to a severe humanitarian crisis.
Leaders from the UK, Canada, and France have jointly warned the Israeli government to cease its "egregious actions" and immediately allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. The Gaza conflict, triggered by Hamas's October 7th attack that killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, has since claimed at least 53,000 lives in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry (figures do not distinguish between military and civilian deaths).
The European Hospital strike underscores a pervasive argument: Israel, with perceived American backing, has become increasingly confident it will not face accountability for its actions. As Dr. Potokar, now at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, put it starkly when asked for a message to the Israeli government: "Stop."
