On November 19, 2023: 31 premature babies were evacuated to the Emirates Crescent Hospital following the targeting of al-Shifa Hospital, arranged and coordinated by the UN Mission and the World Health Organization (WHO), and then transferred to Egypt[2][3].
On December 6, 2023: The hospital’s administration announced that the occupancy rate of beds in the maternity departments of the hospital reached 176% and 154% in the nursery department, with an acute shortage of medicines and medical supplies, and a number of medical devices stopped due to power outages[4].
On January 12, 2024: Doctors Without Borders (MSF) stated that its teams continue to provide prenatal and postnatal services at the Emirates Crescent Hospital[5].
On January 18, 2024: Al Mezan Center for Human Rights reported on the harsh conditions at the hospital and the lack of resources compared to the needs resulting from the collapse of the health sector[6].
On January 29, 2024: The hospital was the last hospital in Rafah to provide maternity services, with only high-risk cases being able to be cared for as the hospital's caseload exceeded three times its capacity. MSF supported the hospital with 12 additional beds[7][8].
On February 23, 2024: The United Nations Housing Fund reported that the hospital was equipped with only five delivery beds and was one of the last hospitals still providing this service. According to the report, hospital staff were receiving 78 deliveries per day despite the lack of medical supplies. A midwife at the hospital also reported that pregnant women were reluctant to come for routine check-ups and only came to the hospital at the time of delivery[9].
On March 2, 2024: Occupation forces bombed tents of displaced people in the vicinity of the hospital, killing 11 people, including a nurse and an ambulance worker, and wounding about 50 others [10].
On March 21, 2024: A representative of the United Nations Housing Fund visited the hospital and described the poor situation and lack of medical supplies compared to his previous visit in February, with women giving birth on the hospital floor[11].
On March 28, 2024: The management of the hospital announced that the radiography service has been suspended due to the breakdown of the radiology machine[12].
on March 30, 2024: Dr. Ahmed Al-Shaer said that the incubator department was serving 70 children, while the clinical capacity before the genocidal war was only 10 beds, warning that some children will die due to the lack of respirators, as there were three to four babies per incubator. He added that the incubator unit was facing shortages of oxygen, milk and medicines[13][14].
On May 8, 2024: MSF announced the transfer of its medical staff from the Emirates Crescent Hospital to the Nasser Medical Complex. The occupation forces targeted the hospital's courtyard with an artillery shell[15][16].
On May 13, 2024: The management of the Emirates Crescent Hospital announced the transformation of its departments into a field hospital to receive the sick and wounded, and issued an appeal to all medical, nursing and administrative staff to go to support the medical staff, while confirming the continuation of providing medical services for women, childbirth and children[17].
On May 18, 2024: Occupation forces shelled the vicinity of the hospital[18].
On May 28, 2024: Occupation forces targeted the vicinity of the Emirati hospital with aerial and helicopter bombardment[19].
On May 29, 2024: The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that the hospital was the only hospital providing services, albeit partially, in Rafah governorate. The Ministry of Health announced that access to the hospital was difficult in light of the ongoing Israeli invasion of the Rafah governorate, and eyewitnesses reported that Israeli artillery fired a shell in front of the hospital's gate[20][21].
On May 30, 2024: The WHO declared the hospital out of service after it was evacuated[22][23].
