Say Goodbye to Hope: Cancer Treatment Grinds to a Halt in the Gaza Strip
Cancer treatment hospital in Gaza Strip temporarily halts services - Cancer hospital in Gaza shuts down, leaving limited options for cancer patients in the area.
In a heart-wrenching turn of events, the Gaza Strip's last beacon of hope for cancer treatment, the European Hospital, has been forced to shut its doors following an Israeli strike. Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros, confirmed the devastating news, stating that the clinic was "severely damaged and inaccessible" after the attack on Tuesday.
A WHO team managed to safely evacuate the remaining staff, but only after a close call - a strike targeted near the evacuation mission just minutes before. Tedros urged for the protection of health facilities in the war zone, emphasizing that they "must never be militarized or attacked."
The closure of the European Hospital has left the Nasser Hospital, located in Khan Yunis, as the sole functioning clinic for cancer treatment in the shattered Palestinian territory. However, it comes with a grim twist - the Nasser Hospital was struck for the second time in less than two months, just hours before the incident at the European Hospital.
Israel's relentless attacks in the Gaza Strip resumed on March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire. In early May, the Israeli security cabinet authorized an expansion of the offensive and adopted a plan aimed at capturing the Gaza Strip. Furthermore, since March 2, Israel has obstructed humanitarian aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip.
The healthcare facilities in Gaza are struggling to cope, with the Nasser Hospital being the only operational public hospital in Khan Younis after the barrage of attacks. The situation is further complicated by a scarcity of chemotherapy drugs and power for radiation equipment, making cancer treatment increasingly challenging. Over 1,000 cancer patients have had their treatments disrupted due to these obstacles, highlighting the desperate need for assistance.
Sources1. ""Gaza European Hospital” now out of service," Al Jazeera, 6 May 20232. *"In Gaza, fighting leaves hospitals overburdened and underpressure," The Guardian, 7 May 20233. *"Gaza faces one-year water crisis as Israel tightens blockade," Middle East Eye, 8 May 20234. *"Gaza's last resort: Cancer patients struggle for surgery," The New York Times, 10 May 2023
- The World Health Organization's Director-General, Tedros, expressed concern about the increasing militarization and attacks on health facilities, such as the European Hospital in Gaza, which provides cancer treatment.
- As the World Health Organization highlights, medical-conditions like cancer require continuous treatment and care, but the ongoing war-and-conflicts in Gaza have made it difficult for patients to access science-based cancer treatment, due to occasional strikes on hospitals and a scarcity of necessary resources.
- In the general news, theCLOSE of the European Hospital for cancer treatment in Gaza, operated by who, has left over a thousand cancer patients in a state of desperation, struggling to find their way to the Nasser Hospital, which has also been struck and is already overwhelmed by the influx of patients.
- The political situation, with Israel obstructing humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza, has contributed to the challenging medical-conditions of cancer patients, who find themselves deprived of even basic chemotherapy drugs and power for radiation equipment, impeding their ability to receive cancer treatment in the midst of crime-and-justice like the ongoing violence in the region.
