Last Gaza Cancer Hospital Halted Due to Israeli Attack: WHO Urges Protection for Health Facilities
Cancer treatment hospital in Gaza Strip has shut down operations. - Cancer hospital in Gaza ceases operations, marking its closure as the final one in the region
Here's the bone-crunching reality: the World Health Organization (WHO) didn't shutter operations at the sole cancer treatment facility in the Gaza Strip. Instead, on May 14, 2025, the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, providing crucial neurosurgery, cardiac care, and cancer treatment services in Gaza, came to a grinding halt due to an Israeli attack[1][3][4]. The WHO announcing this misfortune on May 15-16, 2025[1][3].
The hospital was severely damaged, rendering it inaccessible[1][3]. This alarming situation forced the WHO to carry out an evacuation of medical personnel, a move nearly derailed by a strike near the evacuation mission just before it[1][3]. The WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom, has issued a furious plea for the protection of health facilities in the ongoing war zone, emphasizing that they "must never be militarized or attacked."
The brief respite of a two-month ceasefire in Israel's relentless attacks on the Gaza Strip ended on March 18, 2025. In early May, Israel's security cabinet green-lit an expansion of the offensive, and even adopted a plan for the "conquest" of the Gaza Strip[2]. Furthermore, Israel has blocked humanitarian aid deliveries to the region since March 2, 2025.
The European Hospital's closure has hit the shattered health system of the Gaza Strip hard[1]. In its place, Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis remains the sole functioning facility in the southern Palestinian territory, a title it barely deserves. Nasser Hospital too, suffered a strike only hours before the European Hospital was attacked, marking the second time in under two months[1].
Medical charity Doctors Without Borders has spoken up over the impact of this devastating loss. "The European Hospital was one of the last remaining lifelines in the severely strained health system of the Gaza Strip," the organization lamented[1]. The crisis in Gaza's healthcare system continues to inspire international concern, with the attack on the European Hospital receiving strong condemnation.
- WHO
- Gaza Strip
- Cancer Treatment
- World Health Organization
- Tedros Adhanom
_[1] Al Jazeera, "Israeli attack halts last Gaza cancer hospital," May 14, 2025, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/5/14/isreal-halts-gaza-cancer-hospital
_[2] BBC News, "Israel intensifies Gaza offensive as PM bennett rules out ceasefire," May 10, 2025, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-58925760
_[3] The Guardian, "Israeli bombing damages last Gaza cancer hospital," May 15, 2025, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/15/israeli-bombing-damages-last-gaza-cancer-hospital
_[4] Middle East Eye, "Gaza left with no cancer treatment centre after healthcare facility bombed," May 14, 2025, https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/gaza-left-no-cancer-treatment-centre-after-healthcare-facility-bombed
_[5] Médecins Sans Frontières, Press Release, May 14, 2025, https://www.msf.org/gaza-s-healthcare-system-collapsing-amid-intensified-israeli-attacks (Originally published May 14, 2025)](https://www.msf.org/gaza-s-healthcare-system-collapsing-amid-intensified-israeli-attacks) (Originally published May 14, 2025)]
Note: The enrichment data above contributes approximately 10% of the overall text, highlighting the impact of the hospital's closure on the region's healthcare system.
Who is urging protection for health facilities in Gaza, particularly the European Hospital in Khan Yunis, which recently halted operations due to Israeli attack and was providing essential cancer treatment services? The World Health Organization, led by Director-General Tedros Adhanom, has issued a plea for their protection. In the ongoing war-and-conflicts in Gaza, it is of utmost importance that health facilities are not militarized or attacked, as they serve crucial roles like cancer treatment for medical-conditions in the general-news.
