DaysofPal – Gaza’s Ministry of Health warned on Wednesday that because of delayed fuel deliveries, the few hospitals still managing to provide partial medical services are now at risk of running out of electricity, putting thousands of lives in immediate danger.
The warning came a day after the ministry had already sounded the alarm, saying that hospitals operating in the Strip were at risk of a complete shutdown within days due to the fuel crisis. It stressed that the situation has now entered an “extremely dangerous” phase, with no feasible way left to ration or schedule power use in vital departments.
“The shutdown of hospital units would mean a humanitarian disaster with unpredictable consequences,” the ministry said, urging urgent international intervention to ensure the entry of fuel.
Dr. Munir al-Barash, Director General of the Ministry of Health, confirmed that fuel poses the greatest threat, with only two days’ supply left to keep intensive care units, incubators, and respirators running. “A power outage for these devices would mean mass death for patients and premature babies,” he warned.
He described the grim evacuation of al-Rantisi Hospital, where patients were forced to leave with IV bags in their hands and wounds still untreated, while the wards of Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza remain overcrowded beyond capacity.
The crisis is compounded by the fact that most health facilities in Gaza have already been destroyed or severely damaged by Israeli attacks, while the Israeli military continues to restrict aid to a bare trickle, repeatedly blocking or delaying the entry of fuel, food, and medical supplies.
Al-Barash accused Israel of deliberately dismantling Gaza’s health system by targeting hospitals and killing medical staff. He said the number of health workers killed has risen to 1,723, including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists. Among the most recent victims are Dr. Ihab al-Halabi, an endocrinology consultant at al-Rantisi Hospital, and Dr. Ashraf Abu Mohsen.
He called on international organizations to urgently provide protection for medical personnel, ensure the immediate delivery of fuel and medical supplies, and evacuate approximately 16,000 critically ill patients who cannot be treated within Gaza.
“The lives of thousands now hang in the balance,” the ministry warned, stressing that without immediate action, Gaza’s health sector will collapse entirely under the weight of fuel deprivation and relentless Israeli attacks.
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