DaysofPal – The Gaza Health Ministry has issued a stark warning that hospitals across the besieged Strip are on the verge of collapse amid a worsening fuel crisis, calling the situation “catastrophic and unsustainable.”
In a statement released today, the ministry highlighted the profound impact of fuel shortages on Gaza’s already devastated health sector, where a handful of hospitals continue to operate under siege conditions and constant bombardment.
“The health system is nearing total breakdown,” the statement read. “The lack of fuel is now the main threat to the survival of critical patients and the continued functioning of emergency departments.”
Health officials say the crisis is a result of Israel’s deliberate policy of severely rationing fuel deliveries to the enclave, a tactic that has left hospitals with neither the time nor capacity to replenish supplies. This has forced staff into desperate measures, relying entirely on aging and overburdened generators to power intensive care units, neonatal wards, dialysis machines, and surgical theatres.
“The flow of injuries—many of them critical—continues to surge,” the ministry noted. “Each of these cases depends on functioning electricity for treatment and survival, yet the generators can barely stay online for more than a few hours at a time.”
Hospital engineers and technicians, the statement added, are “exhausted and overwhelmed” after months of implementing makeshift energy conservation methods. “Rationalisation measures are no longer enough. We are past the point of creative solutions—now we face life-or-death decisions based on fuel availability.”
The ministry’s alarm comes amid growing international concern over Israel’s blockade on humanitarian supplies to Gaza, particularly fuel and medical equipment. The UN and several NGOs have warned that further delays in lifting restrictions will lead to a sharp rise in preventable deaths.
According to the ministry, the shortage affects not only hospitals but also ambulances, blood banks, and mobile clinics. Several medical centers have already gone dark in northern Gaza, forcing the relocation—or abandonment—of patients in need of urgent care.
“This is not just a health crisis,” the ministry concluded. “It is a systematic assault on Gaza’s right to life. If fuel does not enter immediately, more hospitals will go silent, and more lives will be lost.”
As the siege drags on and international mediation efforts stall, Gaza’s health workers continue to work under impossible conditions, with little more than courage and candlelight to keep their wards alive.
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