Israeli airstrikes have caused extensive damage to Gaza hospital, aid organization says

Israeli airstrikes have “caused extensive damage to hospital departments and exposed residents and patients to suffocation” at the Al-Quds Hospital, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said Sunday.

The aid organization accused Israel of “deliberately” launching the airstrikes “directly next to Al-Quds Hospital, with the aim of forcing the medical staff, displaced people, and patients to evacuate the hospital.”

Videos from the Palestinian Red Crescent show dust clouding up hallways in the hospital, with some people trying to put on face masks. Other video obtained by CNN appears to show the aftermath of a strike, with a cloud of dust rising next to the hospital.

The director of Al-Quds Hospital, Dr. Bashar Mourad, told CNN the vicinity of the hospital had been targeted three times by Israeli airstrikes Sunday as of 4:45 p.m. local time (10:45 a.m. ET).

CNN has asked the Israel Defense Forces about the aid organization's reports that the Al-Quds Hospital was specifically targeted by airstrikes.

Some background: Al-Quds Hospital is treating hundreds of patients, including wounded people, patients in intensive care and children in incubators, the Palestinian Red Crescent said. In addition, approximately 12,000 internally displaced civilians are currently sheltering at the hospital.

The hospital is located in the Tal Al Hawa neighborhood in Gaza City, north of Wadi Gaza — the line south of which Israel has urged people in Gaza to flee. 

Earlier Sunday, the Palestinian Red Crescent had said it received a warning to immediately evacuate the hospital. The World Health Organization has said the order is impossible without endangering the lives of patients.

In response to questions about the evacuation warning and medical workers' response, Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Maj. Nir Dinar told CNN, "They received much more than two (warnings) for the last three weeks."