Gaza Hospitals Near Collapse Amid Escalating Crisis

Thursday 09 January 2025 - 16:31

Three major hospitals in Gaza are on the brink of shutting down due to fuel shortages, as ongoing Israeli airstrikes have claimed the lives of at least 50 Palestinians in the past 24 hours. The United Nations has warned that this crisis poses a severe threat to patients and newborns, describing the situation as a “grave risk.”

The UN condemned the “deliberate and systematic” targeting of Gaza’s medical infrastructure, highlighting the dire state of facilities such as Al-Aqsa, Nasser, and the European hospitals. These hospitals, already strained by relentless bombardment and supply blockades, face the same fate as others that have been forced to close. Health officials report that these hospitals are overwhelmed by an influx of injured civilians, many of whom are women and children.

Doctors at Al-Aqsa Hospital have described critical shortages of essential medical supplies, including surgical tools, antibiotics, and painkillers. Dr. Bushra Othman, a surgeon volunteering at the facility, emphasized the precariousness of the situation, with electricity cuts threatening vital units such as operating rooms and neonatal care.

At Nasser Hospital, the lives of 15 newborns in incubators are endangered by the lack of fuel for generators, which provide crucial electricity. Humanitarian organizations have stressed the urgent need for international intervention to prevent further loss of life.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has renewed calls for a ceasefire, urging immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Despite these appeals, Israeli strikes have continued, with reports of civilian casualties and widespread destruction.

Since the onset of the conflict on October 7, 2023, Gaza’s Ministry of Health has documented over 46,000 fatalities and more than 109,000 injuries among Palestinians. The situation has drawn international condemnation, including from Pope Francis, who decried the devastation and highlighted the suffering of children facing freezing conditions in the absence of functioning hospitals or electricity.