Gaza European Hospital
| European Gaza Hospital مستشفى غزة الاوروبي | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Al-Fukhari, Gaza Strip, Palestine |
| Coordinates | 31°18′14.44″N 34°19′11.48″E / 31.3040111°N 34.3198556°E |
| Organisation | |
| Funding | UNRWA |
| Type | hospital |
| History | |
| Construction started | 1989 |
The European Hospital (Arabic: مستشفى غزة الاوروبي) is a public hospital in Al-Fukhari near Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestine. It was founded by the UNRWA with a grant from the European Union in 1989.
Initial construction costs for the 232-bed European Hospital were estimated at $45 million. The goal was providing primary and secondary healthcare for Gaza residents. [1] The hospital was still under construction in 1999.[2]
In 2019, the hospital served an estimated 17,500 patients a month. It is one of the three main referral hospitals in the Gaza Strip. According to a UNDP report, the hospital provides laboratory services, imaging services (CT, MRI, X-ray), intensive care units, and specialised surgeries.[3]
2023 Israel-Hamas war
[edit]On 31 October 2023, Israeli air raids targeted the vicinity of the European Hospital.[4] On 13 November Tom Potokar, chief Red Crescent surgeon at the hospital, wrote on Twitter that he was treating many patients for shrapnel wounds. [5]
On 19 November, after the Al-Shifa Hospital siege ended with Israeli forces controlling Al-Shifa Hospital, the World Health Organization stated it was planning missions to transport the remaining Al-Shifa patients to the European Hospital and Nasser Medical Complex in the next 2-3 days.[6] On 23 November, the head of the Medical Emergency Rescue Committee at the Indonesia Hospital stated that patients and staff at Indonesia Hospital had been evacuated to the European Hospital.[7]
In May 2024, foreign healthcare workers serving at European Hospital were trapped inside Gaza when Israel seized control of the Rafah Border crossing.[8] Tammy Duckworth advocated for the evacuation of one of the stranded doctors, Adam Hamawy, who she credits with saving her life after she was injured in Iraq. Hamawy spoke to The Washington Post about the supply shortages and the many wounded children he had been treating in European Hospital.[9]
In July 2024, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) ordered an evacuation of the area where the European Hospital is located, later releasing a statement that the hospital was not included in the order.[10] Staff, patients, and displaced people left the hospital with difficulty due to the condition of the roads and some of the patients.[11][12] Many evacuated to Nasser Hospital.[13] While it was closed, many supplies were stolen.[14][15] The hospital re-opened in September with limited capacity.[15]
Several foreign doctors have volunteered at European Hospital and spoken to the press about their experiences there.[16] According to Dr. Mark Perlmutter and Dr. Feroze Sidwa, they had never before witnessed "cruelty" like they did in Gaza, despite serving on multiple humanitarian missions in developing countries, natural disasters, and war zones.[17][18] Perlmutter has reported that 90% of the emergency room patients he encountered were children and that some appeared to have been deliberately targeted by IDF snipers.[19][18][20] In July 2024, 45 doctors, including Perlmutter and Sidwa, wrote an open letter to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to advocate for a ceasefire and arms embargo.[19]
See also
[edit]- List of hospitals in the State of Palestine
- Attacks on health facilities during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war
References
[edit]- ^ Brynen, Rex (2000). A Very Political Economy: Peacebuilding and Foreign Aid in the West Bank and Gaza. United States Institute of Peace Press. p. 196. ISBN 9781929223046.
- ^ Barghouthi, Mustafa; Lennock, Jean; Shaban, Radwan A. (1999). "Managing the Growth of the Health Sector". In Diwan, Ishac; Shaban, Radwan A. (eds.). Development Under Adversity: The Palestinian Economy in Transition (PDF). The World Bank. p. 174.
- ^ "Solar Electrification of the Health System in the Gaza Strip: Opportunities & Challenges" (PDF). UNPD.org. United Nations Development Programme. June 2019. p. 31-32. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 December 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
- ^ Stepansky, Joseph; Najjar, Farah. "Dozens killed in Israeli air attack on refugee camp, Gaza officials say". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
- ^ "Surgeon Dr. Tom Potokar shares on the situation from European Hospital, Gaza". X. International Committee of the Red Cross. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
- ^ Diaz, Jaclyn. "31 premature babies are evacuated from Al-Shifa Hospital to southern Gaza". NPR. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ Chao-Fong, Léonie; Yang, Maya; Belam, Martin; Livingstone, Helen (23 November 2023). "Al Jazeera is reporting that the Indonesia hospital in Gaza has been evacuated". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
- ^ Haydar, Nour; Doherty, Ben (2024-05-20). "Australian doctor trapped in Gaza hospital begs government to evacuate medical team". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
- ^ Bellware, Kim (2024-05-17). "American doctors in Gaza see up-close toll of war weapons on children". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2024-05-18. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
- ^ Stambaugh, Kareem Khadder, Abeer Salman, Michael Schwartz, Alex (2024-07-02). "Israeli military orders new evacuations in southern Gaza, prompting evacuation of European Hospital". CNN. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Why Israel ordered yet another evacuation of Gaza's Khan Younis". Al Jazeera. 2024-07-02. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
- ^ Hurwitz, Sophie. "Inside one of the last hospitals in Gaza". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
- ^ "Supply shortages and patient influxes leave Nasser hospital at breaking point | MSF". www.msf.org. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
- ^ "We Volunteered at a Gaza Hospital. What We Saw Was Unspeakable". Politico. 2024-07-19.
- ^ a b Hurwitz, Sophie. "One of the only hospitals in Gaza just reopened". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
- ^ "Inside Gaza's destroyed healthcare system: 'Patients scream for their loved ones'". The Independent. 2024-07-24. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
- ^ "Opinion | As Surgeons, We Have Never Seen Cruelty Like Israel's Genocide in Gaza | Common Dreams". www.commondreams.org. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
- ^ a b "We Volunteered at a Gaza Hospital. What We Saw Was Unspeakable". Politico. 2024-07-19.
- ^ a b Akbarzai, Sahar; CNN (2024-07-26). "'We cannot remain silent about what we saw.' US medical workers demand Gaza ceasefire in letter to Biden and Harris". CNN. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
{{cite web}}:|last2=has generic name (help) - ^ Smith, Tracy (2024-07-21). "Children of Gaza - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
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