Last Gaza Cancer Hospital Closes Following Israeli Attacks: A Devastating Blow to the Region's Healthcare
Cancer clinic in Gaza forced to shut down due to attacks
In some dreadful news, the European Hospital in Gaza—the last beacon of hope for vital heart and cancer treatments—has been forced to shut down due to extreme damage from Israeli military attacks. This grim reality has been confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The European Hospital, located in Khan Yunis, sustained hefty damage during Israeli attacks on May 13. Sadly, these attacks have rendered the hospital non-operational. In a statement, Tedros mentioned how the closure of the hospital results in the loss of essential services such as neurosurgery, heart treatment, and cancer treatment, which are in short supply in Gaza.
The Israeli army claimed that the attacks were precision strikes against Hamas terrorists operating in a command and control center adjacent to the hospital. However, these allegations couldn't be independently corroborated. Tedros strongly advised that hospitals should never be targeted or militarized and that they should always be protected as they provide essential medical services for communities.
Doctors Without Borders poignantly referred to the European Hospital as "one of the last lifelines in the crippled health system of the Gaza Strip." Ominously, another hospital in Khan Yunis, the Nasser Hospital, also fell victim to Israeli attacks on the same day. The army alleged that Hamas was exploiting the hospitals to carry out terrorist activities in the region.
This closure comes after a two-month ceasefire, with Israel resuming attacks in Gaza on March 18. At the beginning of May, Israel's security cabinet authorized an extension of the offensive and adopted a plan for the "conquest" of the Gaza Strip. Since March 2, Israel has also been blocking humanitarian aid deliveries to the region.
This unfortunate event brings alarming consequences for cancer and heart treatment in the region:
- Cancer Treatment: The European Hospital served as the only facility offering medical follow-up care to cancer patients in Gaza after the Turkish Friendship Hospital was decimated. Its absence now deprives cancer patients of the crucial treatment they so desperately need.
- Heart Treatment: The halt in specialized services such as cardiac catheterization and cardiovascular surgery at the hospital means that these services are unavailable anywhere else in Gaza. Consequently, the already strained healthcare system in the region faces even greater stress.
The shutdown of the European Hospital deeply impacts Gaza's already overburdened healthcare system, leaving many patients bereft of vital medical services.
Sources: ntv.de, raf/dpa
- Gaza
- Middle East Conflict
- Hamas
- Israel
- Humanitarian Aid
- World Health Organization
- Doctors Without Borders
- The closure of the European Hospital in Gaza, a critical facility providing heart and cancer treatments, has been confirmed following Israeli military attacks and is a significant blow to the region's healthcare policy.
- This incident highlights the devastating effects of war-and-conflicts, such as the Middle East Conflict, on essential health facilities, as the European Hospital served as the only medical follow-up care center for cancer patients in Gaza.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, emphasized the importance of protecting hospitals from being targeted or militarized, as their role in the community policy is to provide essential medical services to communities.
- The shutdown of the European Hospital, a lifeline in the understrained healthcare system in the Gaza Strip, has left many patients without vital health services, further underscoring the urgent need for humanitarian aid and general news about the ongoing situation in the region.
