Gaza's only genetics laboratory severely damaged in Israeli attacks

Israeli aggression continues unabated. The latest attack targeted the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, the only hospital in the north still operating at full capacity. In this strike, Israel specifically targeted the hospital's emergency department, outpatient clinics, pharmacy, and genetics laboratory, effectively obstructing Palestinians' access to healthcare. The laboratory, which plays a critical role in diagnosing genetic and hereditary diseases, was rendered unusable by these attacks.

Fadel Naim Naim, an orthopedic specialist at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, described the damage sustained by the hospital during the attack on the night of April 13 and its repercussions on the healthcare system to Anadolu Agency:
"Al-Ahli Arab Hospital served as the backbone of emergency services in northern Gaza. It was a fully equipped hospital, providing comprehensive healthcare with an intensive care unit and operating rooms running 24/7. The attack damaged the hospital's genetics laboratory, emergency department, outpatient clinics, radiology department, and pharmacy. The emergency department is no longer able to provide services. More than 300 patients and wounded individuals were deprived of treatment and had to be transferred to other hospitals. With the hospital out of service, the population in the north, in particular, has been deprived of healthcare."

The most significant damage inflicted on the hospital during the Israeli attack, alongside the emergency department, was to Gaza's only genetics laboratory. Stating that they had decided to establish this laboratory to research and treat the causes of genetic diseases among Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Naim said, "We were about to open this laboratory before the war began, but with the start of the attacks, not only were we unable to open it, but with this latest strike, we have been completely deprived of it. Currently, the tools and equipment in the laboratory are unusable."