Shuhada al-Aqsa Hospital

Shuhada al-Aqsa Hospital (Arabic: مستشفى شهداء الأقصى الحكومي, English: al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital) is a hospital in the middle of the Gaza Strip. It is located in Deir al-Balah.

Shuhada al-Aqsa Hospital
Geography
Location	Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Deir al-Balah Governorate, Palestinian territories
Coordinates	31°25′11.89″N 34°21′36″E / 31.4199694°N 34.36000°E / 31.4199694; 34.36000
Organisation
Type	Treatment
History
Opened	2001

Shuhada was founded in 2001. As of 2018, it was one of fifteen public hospitals in the Gaza Strip.

It is managed by UNRWA, The Ministry of Health and various NGOs. The hospital served an estimated 18,000 patients each month until recently.^{[clarification needed]} 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 ongoing Israeil-Palestinian 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

• List of hospitals in the State of Palestine
• Deir al-Balah

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. . Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
10. Goillandeau, Martin (9 January 2024). . CNN. Archived from the original on 29 February 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
11. . Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
12. Davies, Alys (10 January 2024). . BBC News. Archived from the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
13. Farge, Emma. "Medics, patients flee Gaza's remaining hospitals as fighting intensifies - WHO". Reuters. Retrieved 13 January 2024.
14. . The Independent. 11 January 2024. Archived from the original on 12 February 2024. 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 (8 January 2024). "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. . Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 13 January 2024.