Initial construction costs for the 232-bed European Hospital were estimated at $45 million. The goal was providing primary and secondary healthcare for Gaza residents. [1] The hospital was still under construction in 1999.[2]
In 2019, the hospital served an estimated 17,500 patients a month. It is one of the three main referral hospitals in the Gaza Strip. According to a UNDP report, the hospital provides laboratory services, imaging services (CT, MRI, X-ray), intensive care units, and specialised surgeries.[3]
On 31 October 2023, Israeli air raids targeted the vicinity of the European Hospital.[4] On 13 November Tom Potokar, chief Red Crescent surgeon at the hospital, wrote on Twitter that he was treating many patients for shrapnel wounds. [5]
On 19 November, after the Al-Shifa Hospital siege ended with Israeli forces controlling Al-Shifa Hospital, the World Health Organization stated it was planning missions to transport the remaining Al-Shifa patients to the European Hospital and Nasser Medical Complex in the next 2-3 days.[6] On 23 November, the head of the Medical Emergency Rescue Committee at the Indonesia Hospital stated that patients and staff at Indonesia Hospital had been evacuated to the European Hospital.[7]
In May 2024, foreign healthcare workers serving at European Hospital were trapped inside Gaza when Israel seized control of the Rafah Border crossing.[8]Tammy Duckworth advocated for the evacuation of one of the stranded doctors, Adam Hamawy, who she credits with saving her life after she was injured in Iraq. Hamawy spoke to The Washington Post about the supply shortages and the many wounded children he had been treating in European Hospital.[9]
In July 2024, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) ordered an evacuation of the area where the European Hospital is located, later releasing a statement that the hospital was not included in the order.[10] Staff, patients, and displaced people left the hospital with difficulty due to the condition of the roads and some of the patients.[11][12] Many evacuated to Nasser Hospital.[13] While it was closed, many supplies were stolen.[14][15] The hospital re-opened in September with limited capacity.[15]
Several foreign doctors have volunteered at European Hospital and spoken to the press about their experiences there.[16] According to Dr. Mark Perlmutter and Dr. Feroze Sidwa, they had never before witnessed "cruelty" like they did in Gaza, despite serving on multiple humanitarian missions in developing countries, natural disasters, and war zones.[17][18] Perlmutter has reported that 90% of the emergency room patients he encountered were children and that some appeared to have been deliberately targeted by IDF snipers.[19][18][20] In July 2024, 45 doctors, including Perlmutter and Sidwa, wrote an open letter to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to advocate for a ceasefire and arms embargo.[19]
