Al Ahli Arab Hospital
Serving the community of Gaza City

Amos Trust has partnered with the hospital for the last 30 years. For the last 10 years, we have focussed our support on their breast cancer awareness and screening programme. 

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in Gaza. Women there are three times more likely to die of breast cancer than in the UK, in Israel or on the West Bank. Often seen as being taboo, women would typically ‘disclose’ late. 

Before 7th October 2023, chemotherapy drugs were typically in short supply and radiotherapy was not allowed in Gaza — meaning that if women were given permission by the Israeli government, they would have to leave their families and travel to Jerusalem for treatment. Therefore, taboo-busting and awareness-raising screening programmes and early treatment remained vital. 

Al Ahli has been hit four times since 7th October 2023. On the 17th of October, thousands of people were sheltering there when its courtyard was hit by a missile that killed 471 people and injured many more. Despite this and massive shortages in staffing, medicines, anaesthetics, antibiotics, fuel, food and water, the hospital continues to open every day.

Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City after it was bombed on 17th October 2023
Image: Mohamed al-Masri
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This small hospital is one of the very few hospitals still operating in Gaza City. It sees 700 patients daily, carrying out 25-30 operations and has 160 in-patients in a 50-bed unit and 22,000 outpatients.

Hospital staff who are sheltering in central Gaza now also run a temporary health clinic for the 1 million people squeezed into this tiny strip of land that lacks all basic amenities.