Gaza hospitals face shutdown amid fuel shortage, ministry warns
RAFAH, GAZA - OCTOBER 12: People carry an injured man on a stretcher among rubbles of destroyed buildings as Israeli airstrikes continue on the sixth day in Rafah, Gaza on October 12, 2023. (Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The Gaza health ministry issued a dire warning on Friday, stating that hospitals in the territory could cease operations or drastically reduce services within 48 hours due to an acute fuel shortage.
Marwan al-Hams, director of Gaza’s field hospitals, attributed the crisis to Israeli authorities blocking fuel entry, exacerbating the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe.
Al-Hams urged international bodies to act swiftly, referencing the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) recent arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in Gaza.
“We raise an urgent warning as all hospitals in Gaza Strip will stop working or reduce their services within 48 hours due to the occupation’s (Israel’s) obstruction of fuel entry,” Marwan al-Hams,said.
“We call on international institutions to exploit the decision of the International Criminal Court to stop the genocidal war in Gaza Strip,” he added.
The ICC also issued a warrant for Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif, whom Israel claims to have killed in a July airstrike, though Hamas has not confirmed his death.
Since the war began on October 7, 2023, following Hamas’s attack on southern Israel, Gaza has been plunged into a severe humanitarian crisis. By late October, all but one hospital in northern Gaza had ceased functioning, with facilities facing severe shortages of medicine and medical supplies.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed alarm over the state of healthcare in Gaza, particularly at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, where the situation remains critical amid continued Israeli military operations.
