Gaza's Cancer Clinic Closure: A Catastrophic Setback for Critical Healthcare
Cancer clinic in Gaza forced to shut down following attacks
In a disheartening turn of events, the European Hospital in Gaza, the last beacon of hope for heart and cancer treatments in the Gaza Strip, has been forced to shut its doors. This is following severe damage inflicted by the Israeli army, as stated by the WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
On May 13th, a series of Israeli attacks left the hospital in Khan Yunis with extensive damage, rendering it non-operational. The Israeli army had previously claimed that their strikes targeted Hamas terrorists in a command and control center situated beneath the hospital. However, these assertions remain unverified.
In the aftermath of this closure, essential healthcare services such as neurosurgery, heart treatment, and cancer treatment—services that are not accessible anywhere else in Gaza—have been suspended, as stated by the WHO Director-General. It's crucial to safeguard hospitals and never allow them to become battlefields.
Doctors Without Borders underscored the European Hospital as one of the few remaining lifelines in Gaza's devastated healthcare system. The Nasser Hospital, also under attack on the same day, is now the sole functioning clinic in Khan Younis. Israel alleges that Hamas exploits hospitals in Gaza for terrorism.
Following a two-month ceasefire, Israel has resumed its aggressive assaults in the Gaza Strip on March 18th. Recently, on May 1st, Israel's security cabinet endorsed an expansion of the offensive and proposed a plan for the takeover of Gaza. Since March 2nd, Israel has halted humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip as well.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has been compounded by the ongoing blockade of crossings for food, medical supplies, and humanitarian aid. The repeated bombardment of healthcare facilities underscores the dire circumstances in Gaza, with MSF voicing concerns that such actions are making the Strip uninhabitable.
Sources: ntv.de, raf/dpa
- Healthcare
- Conflict
- Islamic Palestine
- Israel
- Humanitarian Aid
- World Health Organization
- Doctors Without Borders
- Middle East Politics
- The closure of Gaza's Cancer Clinic, a critical healthcare facility, is a devastating setback in the already strained health policy of the region, particularly amidst the ongoing conflict.
- The ongoing political tensions between Islamic Palestine and Israel have led to a series of attacks on healthcare institutions, such as the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, which provides medical-conditions care like cancer treatment that are otherwise scarce in Gaza.
- The World Health Organization and Doctors Without Borders have voiced their concern over the escalating conflict and the repeated bombardment of healthcare facilities, stressing the importance of safeguarding these institutions and ensuring they are not used as battlefields during science disputes and general-news events.
