The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed Thursday that Gaza’s European Hospital in Khan Yunis — the last functioning facility providing critical cancer and cardiac care in the besieged enclave — has been forced to cease operations following a devastating Israeli strike earlier this week.

In a statement released on X (formerly Twitter), WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the hospital as “severely damaged and inaccessible,” declaring it “no longer functional.” The hospital had served as a vital center for neurosurgery, oncology, and cardiac care, with services unavailable elsewhere in Gaza.

The attack occurred on Tuesday, and a WHO emergency team on the ground was forced to evacuate remaining staff under dangerous conditions. According to Tedros, an Israeli strike landed near the facility just moments before the evacuation operation. The remaining personnel have since been relocated to the already-overburdened Nasser Medical Complex.

The closure of the European Hospital is a significant blow to an already collapsing healthcare system in Gaza, where Israeli airstrikes and a relentless blockade have left the territory’s medical infrastructure in ruins. The hospital was also a key site for medical evacuations, a service now critically disrupted.

Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) called the hospital’s closure “a devastating development” for Gaza’s population, especially in southern areas. The group also reported that the Nasser Medical Complex, now the only partially functioning hospital in Khan Yunis, had been hit hours before the attack on the European Hospital. They warned that the remaining facilities, most of them damaged and under-equipped, are under extreme pressure and facing relentless bombardment.

“This is yet another example of how Gaza’s healthcare system is being systematically dismantled,” MSF said in a statement, condemning repeated attacks on hospitals and medical centers. “It is impossible to deliver medical care under fire. Gaza is being rendered unlivable.”

Dr. Tedros called for the immediate protection of healthcare facilities and personnel. “Hospitals must never be militarized or targeted,” he wrote. “Ceasefire.”

The WHO and humanitarian organizations continue to demand safe access for aid and medical support, warning that the continued destruction of healthcare infrastructure will lead to catastrophic consequences for civilians already enduring famine, displacement, and relentless aerial bombardment. (ILKHA)