Cancer Treatment in Gaza Strip: A Crucial Health Crisis
Cancer treatment facility in Gaza Strip's final shutdown. - Cancer Hospital in Gaza Regions Closes as Per World Health Organization Declaration
Here's a sad turn of events in the already troubled Gaza Strip: the last hospital offering life-saving cancer treatment has temporarily halted its operations. On May 13, 2025, this hospital, known as the European Hospital, took a heavy blow due to an Israeli military attack. The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom, confirmed the severity of the damage and inaccessibility of the hospital.
A team from WHO had to evacuate the remaining staff, but not before a strike struck near their evacuation mission. Tedros pleaded for the protection of healthcare facilities in conflict zones, stating, "They must never be militarized or attacked."
The European Hospital's closure has left the Nasser Hospital as the sole functional clinic in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip. Sadly, the Nasser Hospital itself was attacked just hours before the European Hospital attack. This double whammy has put an immense strain on an already overwhelmed health system in the region.
Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has expressed concern over this development. MSF stated that the European Hospital was one of the last remaining lifelines in the shattered health system of Gaza. They also pointed out that the Nasser Hospital was attacked for the second time in less than two months, highlighting the dire situation.
Israel's military offensive resumed in Gaza on March 18, 2025, after a two-month ceasefire. Since then, Israel has also been blocking humanitarian aid deliveries to Gaza. In early May, the Israeli security cabinet approved an expansion of the offensive and adopted a plan for the "conquest" of the Gaza Strip.
Patients are now left in limbo, as the closure of the European Hospital and the attack on the Nasser Hospital have effectively ended cancer treatment services in Gaza. Over 1,000 cancer patients have seen their treatment interrupted due to these shortages and facility closures. Access to chemotherapy drugs and electricity required for radiation equipment has been severely restricted, making cancer treatment impossible for many.
In essence, the closure of the European Hospital and the attack on the Nasser Hospital have left patients without access to essential medical care. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to deepen, making it difficult for patients to receive necessary medical care, particularly for life-threatening conditions like cancer.
- The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom, reported that the last hospital in Gaza Strip offering cancer treatment, the European Hospital, has ceased operations temporarily due to an Israeli military attack in May 2025.
- Science and medical-conditions, such as cancer, are being severely affected by the ongoing war and conflicts in Gaza, with the closure of the European Hospital and the attack on the Nasser Hospital causing a shortage of essential medical care.
- The closure of the European Hospital and the attack on the Nasser Hospital have put an immense strain on the health-and-wellness system in Gaza, leaving over 1,000 cancer patients without access to chemotherapy drugs and radiation equipment.
- General news coverage has highlighted the harsh effects of politics on health-and-wellness issues, such as the delayed cancer treatment in Gaza due to the ongoing war, with Tedros Adhanom pleading for the protection of healthcare facilities in conflict zones and medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) expressing concerns over the situation.
