The Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announced on Sunday the refurbishment of the emergency department at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, marking the initial phase of the enclave's effort to rebuild its medical system.
It had been out of service since the Israeli bombardments destroyed it in March this year.
The newly opened emergency department in the hospital is considered the largest in the Gaza Strip. It is equipped with 70 beds and an operating room, in addition to intensive care beds. The department was funded by international charitable organizations in order to strengthen the health sector in the stricken city.
"We have reopened the first building in the destroyed Al-Shifa Medical Complex, where the outpatient department has been modified to become a reception and an emergency department, serving Gaza City and the north," said Moatasem Salah, head of the Health Emergency Committee.
Al-Shifa Hospital was reduced to rubble, and the cardiology and specialized surgery departments were destroyed. At least 115 beds in the emergency department were burned during the last Israeli invasion in March.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health has announced that this marks the initial phase in the reconstruction of its health care infrastructure following wartime destruction. More hospitals will reopen following enhancements and refurbishments.
"We have a massive plan of 20 projects to rehabilitate the health system. There are 100 beds in the maternity building that are currently being equipped with operating rooms, in addition to [repair and rehabilitation] projects for the Eye Hospital and Al-Rantisi Hospital, in order to reactivate the healthcare system in Gaza City and the north," said Munir Al-Barsh, director general of the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The Israeli army launched systematic campaigns against the hospitals in the Gaza Strip during the war, claiming that they were being used by Hamas.
The World Health Organization described the destruction of Al-Shifa Hospital in March as "removing the heart of the health system" from the Strip.
Al-Shifa Complex is the backbone of the Palestinian health system in Gaza. Its rehabilitation has raised hopes among Palestinians that it will be the starting point for the reconstruction of the rest of the city, even if only partially.
Al-shifa Hospital reopens as Gaza Strip struggles to rebuild its medical system
Parents are still left desperate months after a rocket attack claimed their children's lives at a football pitch in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.
The rocket attack struck the football pitch on July 27, 2024, killing 12 children and teenagers from the Druze community and wounding at least 42 other people.
While the Israeli military and Hezbollah blame each other for the attack, the families of the victims are grappling with the heartbreaking loss of their children, whose lives were cut tragically short.
"It was 18:18 on July 27, 2024. My daughter was playing football when the attack happened. It's heartbreaking and tragic. The whole of the Golan Heights has fallen silent. That day, I felt my heart had been swallowed by darkness. I've been living in darkness ever since. We continue to mourn this black day in Majdal Shams," said Adham Safadi, father of Finis.
"We are peace seekers. At no point have we ever supported war or incited attacks in the Middle East to avenge our children's death. We're peace scholars. We want all children in the world to live in peace, especially in the Middle East where we hear so much about revenge and retribution. We're peaceful people, the children of the Golan Heights. We were born in peace and will die in peace. Everyone has the right to live in freedom, security, and peace. In all honesty, we implore anyone with the power to stop this hideous conflict," said Safadi.
"Alma was a very strong girl, confident about herself. She was a natural leader, a smart girl, a talented girl, a very, very kind girl," said Nailah Fakhr Al-Din, mother of Alma.
"The day the incident happened was a Saturday, around 18:18. We live five to seven minutes away from the scene, so when I heard the explosion, I rushed to the football pitch. I instinctively knew that Rayan and Elian, her brothers, were there. To the right of the entrance, I saw four bodies. One of them was Alma," said Ayman Fakhr Al-Din, father of Alma.
"After 10 months of war, children have come to accept the sound of rockets as part of their daily lives, like Fairuz's (a Lebanese singer) music, and the sound of shelling every day, or day after day," said Fakhr.
Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border have escalated since Oct. 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by Hezbollah toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas' attack on Israel the previous day.
Parents left desperate as rocket attack claims children's lives in Golan Heights
