The World Health Organization has confirmed that Gaza’s last functioning hospital offering cancer and cardiac treatment is no longer operational following an Israeli airstrike.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X that an attack on Tuesday left the European Hospital in Khan Yunis “severely damaged and inaccessible”. It is “no longer functional,” he said, adding that a WHO team had evacuated emergency medical staff who had worked through the attacks.
The shutdown comes as Gaza’s health infrastructure faces extreme strain amid months of intense conflict between Israel and Hamas since 2023.
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The WHO chief said, “The hospital’s closure has cut off vital services, including neurosurgery, cardiac care, and cancer treatment – all unavailable elsewhere in Gaza.” Tedros insisted that “hospitals must be protected”. “They must never be militarised or targeted. Ceasefire,” he declared. “A strike hit nearby just before the mission,” he added.
The Doctors Without Borders (MSF) charity said that the territory’s remaining hospitals, “mostly partially functional, are constantly overwhelmed.” “Repeated strikes on healthcare facilities are yet more examples of the Israeli authorities making the Strip unliveable,” it added.
