70% of Gaza Hospital Generators Out of Service, Health Ministry Says
Around 70% of electricity generators at hospitals across the Gaza Strip have gone out of service because of shortages of fuel, oil and spare parts, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Zaher Al-Wahidi, director of the ministry’s Health Information Center, warned during a press conference at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City that the remaining generators were struggling to provide enough power for critical and life-saving departments.
The shortages are also affecting the ability of medical workers to reach hospitals. Public transport companies and buses reportedly announced a complete or near-total halt in operations, preventing hundreds of healthcare workers from getting to their workplaces and further limiting hospitals’ ability to respond to emergencies.
Al-Wahidi said Gaza’s health system is also facing severe shortages of medicines and medical supplies, while diagnostic equipment has been disrupted and treatment routes abroad remain closed for patients and wounded people awaiting care.
He rejected Israeli claims that sufficient medical and logistical supplies were being allowed into Gaza, saying the quantities entering the territory remained far below the health sector’s operational requirements.
The Health Ministry urged the international community, the UN Security Council, the World Health Organization and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to take urgent action to facilitate the entry of fuel, medical supplies and other essential equipment.
The warning follows a separate Health Ministry statement that several hospital generators had already stopped working because of shortages of oil, fuel and spare parts, with hospitals requiring about 2,500 litres of generator oil each month.
