Gaza's Al-Rantisi Hospital goes out of service, leaving 38 children with kidney failure in danger

GAZA, Palestine (AA) - Al-Rantisi Hospital for Children in western Gaza went out of service Thursday after running out of fuel for its generators, leaving 38 Palestinian children who are suffering from kidney failure in grave danger.

"Thirty-eight children suffering from kidney failure are deprived of dialysis services after the Al-Rantisi Specialized Hospital for Children, the only hospital specialized for children in the Gaza Strip, stopped as it ran out of fuel," said Ashraf Al-Qudra, the spokesman for the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip.

Earlier in the day, Al-Qudra announced the cessation of all medical services for children at Al-Rantisi Children's Hospital and Al-Nasr Hospital due to a shortage of fuel. He said the intensive care and nursery departments would remain operational, relying on small generators.

Palestinian Minister of Health Mai Alkaila had previously announced at the ministry’s headquarters in Ramallah the collapse of the health system in the Gaza Strip.

“With great regret, we in the Palestinian Ministry of Health announce the collapse of the health system in the Gaza Strip, which portends imminent danger of death for every patient or wounded person in the Strip’s hospitals as of this moment,” Alkaila said at a press conference on Oct. 24.

"The collapse means that from today, all the wounded, including children, women and the elderly, will lose treatment services and that cancer patients will be without medications or chemotherapy sessions and kidney patients will be deprived of dialysis sessions. Hundreds of premature babies are in danger, and thousands of wounded people will have open wounds," she added.

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on Oct. 7.

At least 10,569 Palestinians have been killed, including 4,324 children and 2,823 women. The Israeli death toll, meanwhile, is nearly 1,600, according to official figures.