Gaza hospital generators to run out of fuel, Health Ministry warns

By Mohamed Majid

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) - Gaza’s Health Ministry warned Thursday that electric generators at hospitals will cease functioning due to the lack of fuel.

“We appeal to the UN and humanitarian institutions to quickly provide the necessary fuel to ensure the continued provision of services to patients to preserve their lives,” the ministry said in a statement.

Israel has launched a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 34,300 Palestinians have since been killed and 77,300 others injured amid a tight siege imposed by Israel, which left the entire population, especially residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

Several hospitals have been forced out of service across the besieged enclave due to Israeli attacks and restrictions.

On Monday, Tlaleng Mofokeng, the UN special rapporteur on the right to health, said the Gaza war has "completely obliterated" the health system there, and the right to health has been decimated at "every level."

More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara