Tehran IVF clinic devastated by US-Israeli attack as hospitals and homes hit

US-Israeli Strikes Shatter Tehran IVF Clinic, Wounding Hospitals and Homes

For years, Mohsen and Firouzeh endured the challenges of infertility, eventually seeking treatment at a fertility clinic within Tehran’s Ghandi hospital. Their journey was marked by perseverance, culminating in a glimmer of hope after a decade of efforts.

“The hospital staff worked so hard to help us,” Mohsen says. “After 10 years of trying, we finally had hope.”

On Sunday, the second day of a severe US-Israeli bombing campaign against Iran, the clinic faced catastrophic damage. A strike reportedly targeted the hospital, causing “very serious damage” to its IVF section.

Mohammad Hassan Bani Asad, director of Gandhi hospital, reported that one employee sustained critical injuries, including brain bleeding, requiring surgery. The attack’s aftermath left Firouzeh in disbelief.

“Now, after hearing about the attack on the IVF section, we feel like we are losing our minds,” says Firouzeh. “We don’t know what has happened. We don’t know what happened to our samples. We don’t know if all these years of effort and hope are gone.”

Residents of Tehran, including Mohsen and Firouzeh, remain anonymous due to security concerns. The US and Israel justify their strikes as targeting Iran’s leadership, military, and nuclear facilities. Several high-ranking officials have already been killed, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Yet, the civilian toll is undeniable. Strikes have razed homes, crippled hospitals, and left a primary school in ruins, claiming the lives of approximately 150 girls aged seven to twelve.

Golestan Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Tehran, also suffered structural harm. The Red Crescent Society documented at least 787 fatalities, with attacks hitting over 150 cities nationwide.

Negin, a resident of Tehran’s Shariati neighborhood, witnessed an air strike demolish an Army hospital nearby. “I saw things that I would never have believed if I hadn’t seen them myself,” she tells Middle East Eye.

Negin recalls fleeing the scene but estimates dozens perished. “Two streets above our home are the army’s Joint Staff headquarters and the Revolutionary Court,” she explains. “They hit that area, but many residential homes on the same street were completely destroyed.”

Mohammad Raiszadeh, head of Iran’s Medical Council, noted that at least 10 medical centers were struck. He drew parallels to Israel’s assault on hospitals in Gaza, emphasizing the recurring pattern of targeting healthcare infrastructure.

“They showed during the Gaza tragedy that they cannot stop attacks on hospitals and medical centres,” Raiszadeh says.

Despite the Israeli military’s claim that the Gandhi hospital suffered only “minor and collateral damage,” staff describe a different reality. Salmaz, a nurse at the facility, recounts the explosion’s chaos.

“We were working as usual when we suddenly heard a loud blast,” Salmaz says. “The force of it threw me into the corner of my office. The building caught fire. Everyone was screaming and trying to escape.”

Amid the turmoil, Salmaz and her colleagues prioritized newborns in the ward. “In those terrible moments, we were just trying to save the babies,” she says. “I have never seen anything like this in my life. Only in movies.”

Meanwhile, residential and commercial buildings across Tehran also bore the brunt of the strikes. Mohammadali, 32, works at an advertising firm on Motahari Street. He describes the destruction of his workplace.

“Israel keeps saying it only targets military sites,” Mohammadali says. “Our company creates advertising content for small businesses. What does that have to do with the government or the Revolutionary Guard? They destroyed our office, and one of our colleagues is now fighting for her life.”