Gaza’s civil defence rescue agency said the strike on al-Ahli al-Arabi Baptist Hospital led to “the destruction of the surgery building and the oxygen generation station for the intensive care units”.

Eyewitnesses say the military threatened to bomb the hospital just minutes before the strikes, giving those in its compounds only 18 minutes to evacuate.

Due to the rushed expulsion, critically ill patients were evacuated out in the cold without proper care.

At least three patients - including a child being treated for head injuries - died as a result. One woman was sleeping in the hospital overnight while she waited for her husbanded to be treated.