Nasser Hospital

Last updated

Nasser Medical Complex
Nasser Hospital
Geography
LocationKhan Yunis, Gaza Strip, Palestine
Coordinates 31°20′50″N34°17′35″E / 31.3471°N 34.2930°E / 31.3471; 34.2930
Organisation
Funding governmental
History
Opened1960
Closed2024

The Nasser Hospital [a] (or Nasser Medical Complex) was one of the largest hospitals in the Gaza Strip, Palestine.

Contents

As of 18 February 2024, the hospital is no longer functional. [1] During the Israel–Hamas War, Nasser was one of the final active hospitals in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, and was one of the last functioning hospitals in all of Gaza. [2]

History

In 1957, during the Egyptian occupation of the Gaza Strip, the Egyptian authorities built Nasser Hospital on the site of a quarantine and febrile disease hospital established by the British Mandate government in the 1940s. [3] The hospital opened its doors in 1960 and was named after Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser.

In 1972, the hospital closed for construction to double its capacity from 112 beds. It reopened in February 1974. In December 1984, the Israeli authorities closed down the orthopedic department due to contamination and transferred its activities to Al-Shifa Hospital. [4]

Israel–Hamas war

The hospital was shelled multiple times throughout the war. [5] The international media reported on the death of a 13-year-old amputee, Donia Abu Mohsen, who had survived a previous Israeli airstrike that killed her entire family. [5] [6] [7] According to a freed Israeli hostage who had been held there, the hospital was used by Hamas to hide hostages kidnapped during its October 7 attack on Israel. [8] [9]

In early 2024, as Israeli forces advanced, bombing around the hospital intensified, sparking worries that the hospital would have to shut down. According to a report by The Guardian on 19 January 2024, fighting had come within metres of Nasser Hospital, which was described as the largest hospital still working in Gaza: "It has been receiving hundreds of wounded patients every day since the fighting shifted to the south last month. There are fears it could be forced to close because of Israeli bombardments and evacuation orders. [10] The IDF said it had credible intelligence that Hamas militants were hiding in the hospital, some posing as medical staff, and that Israeli hostages or bodies of Israeli hostages were being held there. [11] [12] Israeli soldiers entered the hospital on 15 February 2024. [13] Five patients died after Israeli forces cut power to the hospital during the raid. [14] [15] On 18 February, the World Health Organization said the hospital could no longer serve its patients, and that the hospital was no longer functional. [1] Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attributed the hospital's inability to continue operating to the Israeli siege and raid. [1]

As of 23 February 2024, the hospital no longer had food or water and had no oxygen for patients. [16] The Gaza Health Ministry attributed thirteen patient deaths to the lack of electricity and oxygen at the hospital. [16] In July 2024, Javid Abdelmoneim, a doctor with Médecins Sans Frontières, reported conditions at the Nasser Hospital, stating, "I've worked in mass casualties around the world and the smell of blood is the same wherever you are. But here in Gaza, the horror really hits home." [17] In an interview, Abdelmoneim stated that hospital staff were required to prioritize urgent surgeries. [18] In July 2024, Doctors Without Borders again warned the Nasser Hospital was at risk as fighting approached. [19]

Mass graves

In late April, a mass grave containing nearly 300 bodies was discovered following the withdrawal of Israeli forces earlier in the month, according to Gazan civil defence workers. In regards to the April 2024 reports of mass graves, the IDF has stated that any “claim that the IDF buried Palestinian bodies is baseless and unfounded.” The IDF told CNN that during its operation “in the area of Nasser Hospital, in accordance to the effort to locate hostages and missing persons, corpses buried by Palestinians in the area of Nasser Hospital were examined.” They further stated that “Bodies examined, which did not belong to Israeli hostages, were returned to their place. [20]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Note: "Nasser" (Arabic: ناصر) and "Nasr" (Arabic: نصر) are close, but different words, sometimes confused in press in the names of hospitals, e.g., here.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Shankar, Vivek (18 February 2024). "Besieged Nasser Hospital 'Not Functional,' W.H.O. Director Says". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  2. ↑ Abdulrahim, Raja (13 February 2024). "Israel Orders Evacuation of Southern Gaza Hospital Where Thousands Are Sheltering". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
  3. ↑ Husseini, Rafiq; Barnea, Tamara (2002). Separate and Cooperate, Cooperate and Separate: The Disengagement of the Palestine Health Care System from Israel and Its Emergence as an Independent System. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN   0-275-97583-5.
  4. ↑ Palestine Red Crescent Society (1987). "Health Conditions of the Arab Population in the Occupied Arab Territories, including Palestine". United Nations. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Nasser Hospital in Gaza hit twice by Israel in past 48 hours: UNICEF". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  6. ↑ Zayara, Sami; Shapiro, Emily (19 December 2023). "12-year-old girl killed at Gaza hospital weeks after she said, 'I only want ... the war to end'". ABC News.
  7. ↑ Khaled, Mai; Saleh, Heba (29 November 2023). "Gaza's children fight to survive amid wreckage of Israel–Hamas war". Financial Times.
  8. ↑ "A freed Israeli hostage relives horrors of captivity and fears for her husband, still held captive in Gaza". PBS NewsHour. 16 January 2024.
  9. ↑ "A freed Israeli hostage relives horrors of captivity and fears for her husband, still held in Gaza". AP News. 16 January 2024.
  10. ↑ Burke, Jason; Livingstone, Helen (19 January 2024). "Fears grow for largest remaining hospital in Gaza as Israeli forces bombard Khan Younis". The Guardian.
  11. ↑ "Gaza's largest functioning hospital 'completely out of service', say health officials". The Guardian . 19 February 2024. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  12. ↑ Lyons, Emmet (15 February 2024). "Israeli troops enter Al Nasser Hospital, Gaza's biggest hospital still functioning, amid the war with Hamas - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  13. ↑ Lieber, Margherita Stancati, Abeer Ayyoub and Dov. "Israeli Forces Enter Gaza Hospital to Search for Hostages". WSJ. Retrieved 15 February 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ↑ "Five patients die at Nasser hospital after Israeli raid cuts off power and leads to 'deeply alarming' scenes". Yahoo News. 16 February 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
  15. ↑ Kim, Victoria; Rasgon, Adam (16 February 2024). "Middle East Crisis: Israeli Forces Search Gaza Hospital; 5 Patients Die as Power Is Lost, Gazan Officials Say". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  16. 1 2 Patil, Anushka (23 February 2024). "More patients have died at a hospital under Israeli siege in southern Gaza, officials report". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  17. ↑ "A day in the life at the last remaining hospital in southern Gaza". Doctors Without Borders. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  18. ↑ "'Dripping in blood': MSF medic describes horrific aftermath of Israeli attack". Longview News-Journal. Al Jazeera English. 17 July 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
  19. ↑ "Nasser Hospital must be protected as health facilities cope with a deadly July". Doctors Without Borders. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  20. ↑ Salman, Abeer; Dahman, Ibrahim; Lister, Tim (22 April 2024). "More than 300 bodies found in mass grave at Gaza hospital, says Gaza Civil Defense". CNN. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
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