Nasser Hospital
| Nasser Medical Complex | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Khan Yunis, Gaza Strip |
| Organisation | |
| Funding | governmental |
| History | |
| Opened | 1960 |
The Nasser Hospital[a] (Nasser Medical Complex) is the only remaining hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, and one of the last functioning hospitals in Gaza.[1]
History[edit]
During the Egyptian occupation of the Gaza Strip, the Egyptian authorities began work on the Nasser Hospital in 1957, on the site of a quarantine and febrile disease hospital originally established in army barracks by the British Mandate government in the 1940s.[2] The hospital opened its doors in 1960 and was named after Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser.
In 1972 the hospital was closed for construction to double its capacity from 112 beds. The hospital reopened in February 1974. In December 1984, the Israeli authorities closed down the hospital's orthopedic department, saying that it was contaminated, and transferred its activities to Al-Shifa Hospital.[3]
2023 Gaza War[edit]
The hospital was shelled multiple times throughout the war.[4] During the war, it received significant international media coverage due to the death of a 13-year-old amputee, Donia Abu Mohsen, who had survived a previous Israeli airstrike that had killed her entire family.[4][5][6]
During the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, according to a freed hostage who claimed to be held there, the hospital was used by Hamas to hold hostages kidnapped from Israel during the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel.[7][8]
In early 2024, as Israeli forces advanced deeper south, bombing in the areas around the hospital intensified. This sparked worries that the hospital may be forced to shut down. According to a report by The Guardian on the 19 January 2024:
Medical staff said the fighting had come within metres of Nasser hospital, the biggest hospital still partly working in Gaza, over the past week. 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.[9]
Israeli soldiers entered the hospital on 15 February 2024.[10] Due to power outages during the entry of Israeli soldiers into the hospital, five patients in the hospital died.[11]
Notes[edit]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Abdulrahim, Raja (13 February 2024). "Israel Orders Evacuation of Southern Gaza Hospital Where Thousands Are Sheltering". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Palestine Red Crescent Society (1987). "Health Conditions of the Arab Population in the Occupied Arab Territories, including Palestine". United Nations. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Nasser Hospital in Gaza hit twice by Israel in past 48 hours: UNICEF". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
- ^ Zayara, Sami; Shapiro, Emily (December 19, 2023). "12-year-old girl killed at Gaza hospital weeks after she said, 'I only want ... the war to end'". ABC News.
- ^ Khaled, Mai; Saleh, Heba (November 29, 2023). "Gaza's children fight to survive amid wreckage of Israel-Hamas war". Financial Times.
- ^ "A freed Israeli hostage relives horrors of captivity and fears for her husband, still held captive in Gaza". PBS NewsHour. January 16, 2024.
- ^ "A freed Israeli hostage relives horrors of captivity and fears for her husband, still held in Gaza". AP News. January 16, 2024.
- ^ Burke, Jason; Livingstone, Helen (19 January 2024). "Fears grow for largest remaining hospital in Gaza as Israeli forces bombard Khan Younis". The Guardian.
- ^ 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) - ^ 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.