The Cologne regional group of IPPNW (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War) had planned a symposium on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, titled "Gaza – How is medical aid still possible?", for July 2, 2026, in a lecture hall at the Cologne University Hospital. Representatives of VENRO / CARE Germany, medico international, and the initiative Re-Move Kids had been invited as speakers. They were to give contributions on the questions "How can humanitarian aid better reach Gaza?" and "How can children be helped during an evacuation to Germany?"

About a week before the event, Timo Mügge, head of corporate communications at Cologne University Hospital, issued a room ban, justifying it by saying that the event would compromise the "neutrality" required of the hospital. According to IPPNW Cologne, he refused any substantive discussion or conversation. In a meeting with the hospital's legal department, the department retreated to a formal position that the hospital's rooms were only intended for teaching, research, and clinical care, and not for societal discourse. In a statement to the taz, the hospital said: "Cologne University Hospital is committed to political neutrality." What exactly this meant remained unanswered upon inquiry. From IPPNW's perspective, the cancellation on these "formal" grounds did not constitute neutrality, but rather prevented information and discussion about humanitarian aid in practice – and, in the face of human suffering, was itself not a neutral stance.

The event ultimately took place on July 23, 2026, relocated to the neighboring University of Cologne and under the slightly altered title "Gaza – Humanitarian Situation and Possibilities for Medical Aid."