Gaza’s hospitals face shutdown as generators fail and fuel runs short

Since the war began in October 2023, only around 19 out of 38 hospitals in Gaza remain operational, according to doctors and health officials. These remaining hospitals are struggling to function due to a lack of fuel, spare parts, and engine oil required to keep their generators running. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, director of Al Shifa Medical Complex, explained that every department in a hospital relies on generators, and any interruption poses a serious threat to patients' lives.

Gaza's electricity infrastructure was severely damaged during the conflict, making hospitals heavily dependent on generators to power critical areas such as intensive care units, operating theatres, emergency departments, laboratories, blood banks, and medical equipment. The Health Ministry reported that hospitals need 94,000 litres of diesel each month to maintain a minimum level of service for residents, but have not received the full quantity needed in any single month since the war began.

Additionally, hospitals require about 2,500 litres of engine oil monthly, but have only received a few hundred litres over recent months. Israeli restrictions on goods entering Gaza have limited the supply of generators and spare parts, with many items classified as "dual-use" and requiring special approval. As a result, about 70% of hospital generators are no longer operational, threatening the entire healthcare system.

Hospitals have attempted to cope by reducing non-urgent services and directing their limited electricity supply to critical departments, but the situation remains precarious. The World Health Organisation recently stopped providing funding for fuel and oil for generators, further exacerbating the crisis. With 13 hospitals and seven health centres currently affected, many departments at some hospitals have stopped functioning, leaving facilities to provide only minimal services and emergency care.

The remaining operational hospitals are under immense pressure to treat both illnesses and war-related injuries, with nearly 175,000 people injured since the war began, including over 4,800 wounded in Israeli attacks during the ceasefire.