Shuhada al-Aqsa Hospital
Geography
LocationDeir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Deir al-Balah Governorate, Palestinian territories
Coordinates31°25′11.89″N 34°21′36″E / 31.4199694°N 34.36000°E / 31.4199694; 34.36000
Organisation
TypeTreatment
History
Opened2001

Shuhada al-Aqsa Hospital (English: al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital) is the only hospital located in the middle area of the Gaza Strip in Deir al-Balah and was founded in 2001. As of 2018, this hospital is one of fifteen public hospitals in the Gaza Strip and is managed by UNRWA, The Ministry of Health, and various NGOs. The hospital serves an estimated 18,000 patients each month. According to The Ministry of Health, the hospital's emergency department had over 11,000 visits. [1][2][3] In 2018, the hospital had 166 beds.[4]

History

Caught in the on-going Israel-Palestine Conflict, the hospital has both been targeted and faced repercussions of nearby targeting from the IDF. In 2014, several shells hit the hospital's intensive care unit in an IDF bombing campaign that was targeting anti-tank missiles in the area. Four Palestinians were killed, and an estimated forty others were injured.[5] During the 2023 Israel-Hamas War, the hospital faced immense overcrowding.[6][7] IDF airstrikes in Deir al-Balah and around the hospital resulted in hundreds of deaths and injuries.[8]

2023 Israel-Hamas War

This section is an excerpt from Gaza humanitarian crisis (2023–present) § Al-Aqsa Hospital.[edit]

Beginning on 6 January, doctors at Shuhada al-Aqsa Hospital reported that Israeli fire was nearing the hospital. Tens of thousands of people were reported to be sheltering at the hospital.[9] British doctor Nick Maynard stated his medical team was forced to evacuate the hospital as Israeli troops attacked the hospital.[10] Medical Aid for Palestinians and the International Rescue Committee both also evacuated their medical teams when the IDF dropped leaflets telling nearby residents they were in a "dangerous combat zone."[11][12] Following a visit to the hospital, the World Health Organization found 70% of staff and many patients had fled.[13] Doctors reported many patients who were physically unable to move, and that conditions were rapidly deteriorating, with one doctor stating, "A child came in alive, literally burnt to the bone, their hands were contracting. Their face was just charcoal, and they were alive and talking. And we had no morphine."[12][14]

In an interview with NPR on 10 January, one American doctor described the situation at Al-Aqsa as the "stuff of nightmares".[15] Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the World Health Organization chief, stated, "Three months into this conflict, it is inconceivable that this most essential need — the protection of health care — is not assured."[16] Health professionals and doctors warned of the danger of Al-Aqsa's closure since it was the last remaining hospital in the entirety of central Gaza.[17] On 13 January, the hospital ran out of fuel to power its generators, leading to a blackout that threatened patients.[18]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Solar Electrification of the Health System in the Gaza Strip: Opportunities & Challenges" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme: 8, 30 – via United Nations.
  2. ↑ "KASR al-HAYR al-GHARBI". Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  3. ↑ "Letter to Israel Military Advocate General Re: Attacks on Health Facilities | Human Rights Watch". 2017-02-21. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  4. ↑ "Health Facilities in the Gaza Strip" (PDF). Health Cluster Occupied Palestinian Territory: 1. August 2018.
  5. ↑ "Gaza conflict: Five dead at hospital hit by Israeli strike". BBC News. 2014-07-21. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  6. ↑ Rankin, Frances; Doran, Temujin; Lamborn, Katie (2023-10-24). "24 hours in a Gaza hospital pushed to the brink". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  7. ↑ "Following an Israeli airstrike, crowded Gaza hospital struggles to treat wounded children". AP News. 2023-11-02. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  8. ↑ Doctors at Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital Emergency Department describe "bloody day" | CNN, 2023-10-23, retrieved 2023-12-05
  9. ↑ Abu Riash, Abdelhakim. "Photos: Terrified people flee Israeli attacks at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  10. ↑ Goillandeau, Martin. "British surgeon says Gaza 'beyond worst thing' he's seen, as Jordan's king warns Israel creating a 'generation of orphans'". CNN. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  11. ↑ "2 medical groups say they are pulling teams from central Gaza hospital due to IDF operations". Times of Israel. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  12. 1 2 Davies, Alys. "'Deep concern' for patients and staff at Gaza's al-Aqsa hospital". BBC. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  13. ↑ Farge, Emma. "Medics, patients flee Gaza's remaining hospitals as fighting intensifies - WHO". Reuters. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  14. ↑ "Desperately trying to save children at one of Gaza's last functioning hospitals". The Independent. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  15. ↑ "'It's the Stuff of Nightmares' Scenes from Inside a Gaza Hospital". NPR. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  16. ↑ Martuscelli, Carlo. "Only 5 doctors remain in one of Gaza's last hospitals, warns WHO". Politico. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  17. ↑ Parker, Claire. "Displaced residents flee last hospital in central Gaza as fighting nears". The Washington Post. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
  18. ↑ "Blackout in Gaza's Al-Aqsa Hospital as fuel runs out, babies at high risk". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
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