Ismail al-Thawabta, the director of government media in Gaza, announced on Tuesday that power had been cut off to all departments at the al-Shifa Medical Complex in Gaza City due to a severe fuel shortage. He warned of disastrous consequences for the lives of patients and the wounded.
Al-Thawabta told Anadolu Agency, "The power outage in the Al-Shifa Medical Complex departments, due to the severe fuel shortage, constitutes a humanitarian crime that threatens the lives of patients and the wounded."
He stressed that this "reveals the extent of the health catastrophe exacerbated by the blockade imposed by the Israeli occupation and the complete ban on medical supplies."
Al-Thawabat did not clarify the fate of patients inside the hospital, which is partially operating after being extensively destroyed by the Israeli occupation forces during two successive raids since October 7, 2023.
Al-Shifa Hospital is Gaza's largest hospital, and one of only five government hospitals still operating amid catastrophic conditions, according to Al-Thawabat.
He explained that five of the 16 government hospitals are operating partially amid catastrophic conditions, while Israel has put 38 other hospitals—government, private, and field—out of service through direct targeting, blocking supplies, or storming and bombing.
He warned of a complete collapse of the health system, "which has reached catastrophic levels of incapacity and dire need of hundreds of items of supplies, medicines, and treatments."
The director of government media in Gaza held Israel and the international community fully responsible for the "catastrophic consequences of this power outage."
Al-Thawabat called on all relevant international bodies to urgently intervene to rescue the health sector and prevent it from complete collapse.
He said, "The hospitals in the Gaza Strip currently have no actual fuel stocks, and all are consuming the last quantities supplied two days ago, which are sufficient for less than 48 hours."
He pointed out that Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital ceased operations yesterday after the main generator broke down and fuel ran out, warning that this threatens a comprehensive healthcare collapse and an imminent disaster that threatens the lives of thousands of wounded and sick people in the Gaza Strip.
The operating hospitals are: Nasser Medical Complex (south), Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital (central), Al-Rantisi Hospital (north), Al-Oyoun Hospital (north), and Al-Shifa Medical Complex (north), according to Al-Thawabat.
In early March, the Israeli occupation escalated its crimes by arbitrarily closing all crossings leading to the Gaza Strip, completely preventing the entry of humanitarian and relief aid, fuel trucks, and all supplies.
Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation has been waging a genocidal war in Gaza, leaving more than 194,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 10,000 missing. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced, and famine has claimed the lives of many, including children.
شارك برأيك
No actual fuel stock in Gaza hospitals, appeals for international aid