Skip to main content
Non-functional
Gaza European Hospital
Facility Type
Central Medical Complex
Ownership type
Government sector
Governorates / District
Khan Yunis
Address
Al-Fukhkhari
Founding Year
2000
Facility director
Youssef Akkad
Beds Capacity
308
Number of workers
891
List of medical specialties and services
Child health
General medicine
Physiotherapy
Emergency medicine
Dermatology
Diabetes services
Ear, nose and throat
Respiratory medicine
Pharmacy
Nutrition
Internal medicine
Orthopedics
Emergency medicine
Respiratory medicine
General surgery
Oncology
Orthopedic surgery
Cardiology
Outpatient clinics
Pediatric cardiology
Pediatric surgery
Newborn services
Neurosurgery
Non-communicable diseases
Ophthalmology
Communicable diseases
Pediatric intensive care
General intensive care
Chemotherapy
Equipment and facilities
Mammography
Ultrasound scan
Radiology
Computed tomography scan
Magnetic resonance imaging
Laboratory services
Pharmacy
Description (About the Facility)

Opened in 2000, the European Gaza Hospital is located in al-Fukhari in the Khan Younis governorate. The hospital spans 20,000 square meters on 65,000 square meters of land and has its own power station. Serving a population of 500,000, the hospital has 927 employees, including 207 doctors and 352 nurses and a capacity of 308 beds[1].

Plans for the construction of the hospital began in 1989, during the first intifada, as a result of the health crisis that the Gaza Strip witnessed during that period due to the lack of medical facilities and the constant rise in the number of injuries[1]. With the support of the European Union (EU), the hospital was initially built with a capacity of 232 beds, to provide secondary healthcare services. At the time, it was the first hospital to be built in Gaza in 25 years[2]. The project entered the planning phase of the construction process in 1993, while the hospital became operational in 2000. A hospital management decision committee was formed by UNRWA, the EU, and the Palestinian Ministry of Health to plan and determine the management of the hospital, which was transferred from UNRWA to the Palestinian Authority in 1997[2].

Development

On June 13, 2012:  The Ministry of Health in Gaza opened new departments in the European Gaza Hospital, including open-heart surgery, neurosurgery, a new intensive care unit, magnetic resonance, kidney lithotripsy, and computed tomography[4].

In early 2020, The hospital became the main hospital equipped to receive COVID-19 cases. The Ministry of Health expanded the hospital's critical care capacity by 30% to 150 beds, including 70 intensive care beds equipped with ventilators and 80 beds in the intermediate care unit[5].

Funding Details
In 1993: The European Gaza Hospital was initially funded by the EU through a $43 million grant to UNRWA. By the time the initial grant was exhausted in 1996, completion of the central stores and 40 percent of the hospital’s equipment remained[1]. In 1997, the EU, UNRWA, and the PA signed a memorandum of understanding for the operation of the hospital, transferring its ownership to the PA Ministry of Health. The EU then committed $5.6 million for equipment and $4.3 million for modifications to the hospital’s buildings and universities in the Gaza Strip provided the medical staff needed at the hospital[2][3].
The Emergency Medical Assistance Program II, funded by USAID and implemented by CARE International, was responsible for the training of emergency medical staff, but the project was discontinued in 2005.
Effect of siege (2007 - 2023)

In September 2004: Occupation forces shot at an ambulance belonging to the European Gaza Hospital[6].

In January 2009: Occupation forces shelled the hospital, causing damage[7]. The UN Development Program estimated the cost of destruction resulting from the blockade and the 2008/2009 aggression at $228,000, and that 5.3% of the hospital's capacity was destroyed[8].

In 2013: The kidney lithotripter at the hospital malfunctioned, resulting in a sharp rise in the number of patients requiring referrals abroad or to non-governmental hospitals inside Gaza[9].

In 2018: According to the Ministry of Health, the European Gaza Hospital played a major role in treating the wounded during the Great March of Return, treating 382 wounded, about a tenth of the injured. The main challenge faced by the medical staff was the lack of specialized doctors as a large number of injured protesters arrived. There were ten vascular surgeons in the entire Gaza Strip, seven of whom had the expertise to treat complex cases, including three at the hospital. On demonstration days, the doctors would work at least 24 hours straight. Staff and patients were also challenged by a shortage of medicines, medical equipment and sutures, which meant that surgeons had to use substitutes, often leading to infections. Another challenge was the shortage of disinfectants, forcing doctors to use chlorine solutions for disinfection. The hospital also suffered from a shortage of antibiotics, leading to the wounded being required to buy their own medicines, resulting in death to some that could not afford to buy antibiotics[10].

In 2020: The UN reported that the hospital lacked oxygen supplies to treat COVID-19 patients[11].

narrative during this war

On October 17, 2023: The Ministry of Health announced that parts of the European Gaza Hospital had been damaged by Israeli shelling of the hospital's entrance[12].

On October 30, 2023: The director of the European Gaza Hospital, Dr. Yousef al-Akkad, announced that the hospital had run out of water[13].

On November 8, 2023: The administration of the hospital held a press conference, announcing that the number of intensive care beds had increased to 54, that medical supplies and fuel were in short supply, and that it had taken a decision to close the field hospital to the wounded, which had been open since the beginning of the aggression, meaning that more than 200 patients and wounded would be deprived of medical services[14].

On November 9, 2023: Continued occupation airstrikes on Khan Yunis caused the ceiling in a room in the field hospital to fall on patients, causing injuries[15].

On November 14, 2023: The hospital announced that the cumulative number of wounded receiving treatment at the hospital was 2,124[16].

On November 18, 2023: Occupation forces targeted a house next to the hospital, causing damage to the field hospital and injuring a number of displaced people[17].

On November 19, 2023: Director Dr. Yousef al-Akkad stated that the Ras al-Naqoura School, adjacent to the hospital’s eastern side, had been prepared and rehabilitated to be used as a field hospital to deal with moderate cases[18].

On November 20, 2023: The hospital received 58 wounded, the first group of wounded from the Indonesian Hospital after they were forcibly evacuated[19][20].

On November 22, 2023: Dialysis patients were evacuated to the hospital from al-Shifa Hospital[21].

On November 24, 2023: The hospital announced that the cumulative number of wounded receiving treatment at the hospital was 3,138[22].

On November 26, 2023: 17 patients and 11 of their companions were evacuated from Al Ahli Baptist Hospital to the European Gaza Hospital[23].

On November 28, 2023: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delivered medical supplies, including medicines, painkillers and blood bags, to the hospital[24].

On December 1, 2023: The hospital set up tents in the emergency area to receive and triage the injured[25].

On December 3, 2023: The hospital announced that the cumulative number of wounded receiving treatment at the hospital was 3,549[26].

On December 7, 2023: The World Health Organization (WHO) delivered essential supplies to the hospital[27].

On December 8, 2023: The hospital reported a severe shortage of medical equipment, with fuel supplies being strictly rationed and many patients being treated without beds and anesthesia drugs. The hospital announced that it was treating 1,000 patients and sheltering 70,000 displaced people[28]

On December 9, 2023: Occupation forces opened fire at an ambulance near the hospital, injuring two paramedics[29].

On December 21 and 22, 2023: Occupation forces bombed the vicinity of the hospital, killing 29 Palestinians and injuring dozens more[30].

On January 1, 2024: Doctors arrived at the hospital as part of medical delegations coordinated by the Ministry of Health and Rahma Foundation Worldwide[31].

On January 8, 2024: Occupation forces bombed the vicinity of the hospital[32].

On January 20, 2024: Occupation forces bombed the vicinity of the hospital[33].

On January 24, 2024: The ICRC stated that only the Nasser Hospital and the European Gaza Hospital remained open as specialized referral hospitals for two million people in the Gaza Strip[34].

On January 25, 2024: The hospital received a medical delegation from the Rahma Foundation Worldwide[35].

On January 28, 2024: Occupation forces shelled the vicinity of the hospital.

On February 2, 2024: According to local media, Israeli quadcopters flew over the hospital[36]. The Palestinian Media Center reported that the occupation forces targeted a house in the vicinity of the hospital, injuring a displaced person and a child inside the hospital [37][38]. 

On February 3, 2024: UNOCHA reported an outbreak of hostilities in the vicinity of the hospital, killing a Palestinian, injuring six others, and damaging hospital facilities[39]. The Palestinian Information Center reported that the occupation forces targeted the Abasan Najm station in the vicinity of the hospital[40]. 

On March 4, 2024: UNOCHA reported that the occupation forces targeted a house in the vicinity of the hospital, resulting in 17 martyrs[41]. 

On March 16, 2024: According to an OCHA report, a team from the WHO visited the hospital to deliver medical supplies for about 80,000 patients and to assess the water, sanitation and hygiene situation in the hospital[42].

On March 23, 2024: Occupation forces targeted the perimeter of the hospital with an artillery weapon[43]. 

On March 27, 2024: According to an UNOCHA report, emergency medical teams visiting the hospital described the situation as catastrophic and “beyond description”. The medical teams reported that the hospital was suffering from epidemic diseases and a severe shortage of beds. Although the hospital administration expanded the clinical capacity from 200 beds to 1,000 beds, the hospital was unable to meet the needs due to an acute shortage of essential medical supplies, structural damage, and inaccessible aid. It was also reported that there were 22,000 displaced people sheltering at the hospital[44]. 

On April 1, 2024: Doctors Without Borders reported that the activities of its team working at the hospital in March were suspended due to dangerous working conditions[45]. 

On April 3, 2024: According to PalToday, a fire broke out in a shelter in the vicinity of the hospital, resulting in several injuries[46]. 

On April 15, 2024: Occupation forces targeted the vicinity of the hospital, injuring 5 civilians. [47]. 

On May 10, 2024: Occupation forces blocked the roads between Rafah and Khan Younis governorates and prevented ambulances from reaching the European Gaza Hospital[49][50]. 

On May 13, 2024: Occupation forces targeted a UN vehicle on its way to the hospital, killing one worker and wounding another[51].

On May 20, 2024: Maintenance crews at the European Gaza Hospital rehabilitated and maintained the hospital's false ceilings[52].

On June 2, 2024: Local media reported that occupation forces bombed the vicinity of the hospital [53][54].

On June 21, 2024: Local media reported that occupation forces bombed the vicinity of the hospital[55].

On July 1,2024: The European Gaza Hospital has been rendered non-operational following an order from the occupying forces to evacuate the Al-Fukhari area in Khan Younis, where the hospital is located. Medical teams have begun evacuating patients and transferring them to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis. Additionally, medical staff have removed all medical equipment and supplies from the facility[56].

On August 25, 2024: The Ministry of Health announced that the hospital restarted services in some departments after 50 days of being out of service[57].

On August 27, 2024: The hospital announced on its Facebook page the start of work in the neonatal intensive care unit[58].

On August 28, 2024: Medical staff at the hospital succeeded in restarting the CT scanner in the radiology department[59]. 

August 29, 2024: The hospital announced on its official Facebook page that the Mental Health Center had reopened[60]. 

On September 1, 2024: The European Gaza Hospital received a medical delegation from Norway arranged by the Norwalk Foundation. The delegation included a group of doctors with expertise in orthopedics and general surgery, as well as anesthesia technicians. They are expected to begin performing a series of surgeries over the course of three consecutive weeks[61]. Occupation forces bombed the vicinity of the hospital, killing and injuring several people[62]. 

September 2, 2024: Medical staff at the European Gaza Hospital successfully installed a two-wire pacemaker as part of preparations to equip the cardiac catheterization department[63]. 

On September 3, 2024: The hospital received a delegation from the ICRC to review the progress of the hospital after its reopening[64]. The wound care team, in the presence of representatives from the safety and infection control departments and the head of the hospital's continuing education department, held a training on the use of the Palsmo heal[65]

On September 8, 2024: Medical staff resumed work in the cardiac surgery department and outpatient clinics at the hospital[66][67].

 

The main targeting and assaults During the genocide

Related testimonies

Related testimonies

الوفد الدولي التخصصي الخامس -
شهادة عن عمل مستشفى غزة الأوروبي في ظل الإبادة
- وسائل التواصل الإجتماعي
إيمان معرفي - ممرضة متطوعة لصالح منظمة PALMED
ممرضة فرنسية تتحدث عن مأساة الوضع الإنساني في القطاع الصحي في غزة.
- شبكة الجزيرة الإعلامية
اندي فيرجسون - مدير البرامج في جمعية العون الطبي للفلسطينيين
طبيب إنجليزي يروي تجربته بالعمل في مستشفى غزة الأوروبي
- القناة الرابعة البريطانية
Sources
  1. Palestinian Ministry of Health – Gaza, Digital archive. 
  2. Secretary-General of the United Nations, Report.
  3. Palestinian Ministry of Health - Gaza, Annual Report 2022.
  4. Al-Rai Palestinian News Network, News release.
  5. United Nations Development Program, Report
  6. World Health Organization, Newsletter.
  7. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Report
  8. United Nations Development Program,  Report.
  9. World Health Organization, Monthly Report.
  10. Physicians for Human Rights, Press report
  11. United Nations Development Program, Report.
  12. Al Jazeera Media Network,  Facebook.
  13. Gaza European Hospital, Facebook.
  14. Gaza European Hospital, Facebook.
  15. Gaza European Hospital, Facebook.
  16. Gaza European Hospital, Facebook.
  17. Gaza European Hospital, Facebook.
  18. Gaza European Hospital, Facebook
  19. Gaza European Hospital, Facebook.
  20. Gaza European Hospital, Facebook.
  21. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Report.
  22. Gaza European Hospital, Facebook.
  23. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Report.
  24. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Report.
  25. Gaza European Hospital, Facebook.
  26. Gaza European Hospital, Facebook.
  27. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Report.
  28. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Report.
  29. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Report.
  30. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Report.
  31. Gaza European Hospital, Facebook.
  32. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Report.
  33. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Report.
  34. International Committee of the Red Cross, Press release.
  35. Gaza European Hospital, Facebook.
  36. Activist Hamza Al-Masry, Telegram.
  37. Palestinian Information Center, Press report.
  38. Activist Hamza Al-Masry, Telegram.
  39. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Report.
  40. Palestinian Information Center, Press report.
  41. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Report.
  42. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Report.
  43. Al-Tariq Newspaper,  News release.
  44. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Report.
  45. Doctors Without Borders - Médecins Sans Frontières, Press release.
  46. Palestine Today Channel, Press report.
  47. Al-Manar TV, News release.
  48. Al Watan newspaper, News release.
  49. BBC, News report .
  50. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Report.
  51. United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Report.
  52.  European Gaza Hospital, Facebook.
  53. Activist Hamza al-Masri, Telegram.
  54. Al-Manar TV, News release.
  55. Activist Hamza Al-Masri, Telegram.
  56. Anadolu Agency, News release.
  57. Palestinian Ministry of Health/Gaza, Telegram.
  58. European Gaza Hospital, Facebook.
  59. European Gaza Hospital, Facebook.
  60. European Gaza Hospital, Facebook.
  61. European Gaza Hospital, Facebook.
  62. European Gaza Hospital, Facebook.
  63. European Gaza Hospital, Facebook.
  64. Al Mayadeen, News Release
  65. European Gaza Hospital, Facebook.
  66. European Gaza Hospital, Facebook.
  67. European Gaza Hospital, Facebook.