The Al-Aqsa Hospital in Gaza’s Deir el-Balah is facing a critical situation as power generators have shut down due to a severe lack of fuel. The paediatric department is the first to experience power outages, leaving children in the corridors as rooms are filled with patients injured in the ongoing bombing campaign. The power outage significantly increases the risk to patients’ lives and aggravates existing medical conditions.
The general surgery department is also without power, putting even more lives at risk. Dr. Iyad al-Jabri, the medical director of Al-Aqsa Hospital, stated that more than 4,000 litres of fuel are needed daily to maintain operations and patient care. The hospital is now in darkness, affecting hundreds of patients, including those with kidney failure who rely on dialysis treatment.
Dr. al-Jabri urgently called on international organizations to send 50,000 litres of fuel to prevent an imminent crisis. “Without fuel, all patients, especially those in the ICU, incubators, and those requiring dialysis, will be condemned to death,” he warned.
The situation inside the hospital is dire, with critical departments operating in darkness and patient care severely compromised. Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reported on the grim reality, highlighting the immediate need for fuel to save lives.
Overnight developments have exacerbated the crisis. An Israeli attack on an apartment in Gaza City killed at least 10 people, and another 12 were killed during the bombing of an aid storage warehouse in Deir el-Balah. Israel’s military continues its attacks in Rafah’s eastern suburbs, with tanks advancing towards the densely populated Yibna district in the west.
An American soldier is in critical condition after a non-combat injury while working on a US-constructed aid pier off Gaza’s coast. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority’s fiscal situation has deteriorated, raising the risk of fiscal collapse amid the ongoing conflict.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has drawn global criticism, with over 900,000 Palestinians displaced and lacking essential supplies. The World Bank reported a significant risk of fiscal collapse for the Palestinian Authority due to the ongoing war.
Dr. al-Jabri reiterated the urgent need for fuel to power the hospital’s generators, emphasizing that without it, patients’ lives are in grave danger. Israeli military operations continue to advance in Rafah, facing fierce resistance from Palestinian fighters. The last two functioning hospitals in northern Gaza’s Jabalia region remain under siege, further straining the already critical healthcare infrastructure.
The conflict has resulted in significant casualties, with at least 35,800 people killed and 80,011 wounded in Gaza since October 7. In Israel, 1,139 people have died from Hamas’s October 7 attack, with dozens still held captive. The humanitarian crisis continues to escalate, with immediate action needed to prevent further loss of life.
