Shuhada al-Aqsa Hospital (Arabic: مستشفى شهداء الأقصى الحكومي, English: al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital) is a hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
| Shuhada al-Aqsa Hospital | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Deir al-Balah, Deir al-Balah Governorate, Gaza Strip, Palestine |
| Coordinates | 31°25′11.89″N 34°21′36″E / 31.4199694°N 34.36000°E |
| 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 Israeli–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
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]