The Gaza Strip Health Ministry announced on Wednesday the depletion of oil necessary to operate hospital electricity generators, emphasizing its urgent need for more than 2,500 liters monthly to prevent the collapse of remaining generators, amid Israeli restrictions on importing operating and maintenance supplies.
The Ministry warned in a statement that the continuation of the crisis threatens to stop life-saving medical departments, after it announced on September 16 that 70 percent of hospital generators had gone out of service due to a shortage of fuel, oil, and spare parts caused by the Israeli siege.
It stated that the depletion of oil means "immediate mechanical breakdown and wear" of the remaining generators, which operate under complex engineering and technical conditions. It explained that running generators for long hours increases their oil consumption and maintenance needs, warning that their shutdown would lead to power outages in vital and life-saving departments, without specifying them, while operating rooms and intensive care units are among the most prominent departments relying on electricity.
Limited quantities and increasing needs
On September 13, Mazen Al-Araisi, the Director General of Engineering and Maintenance at the Health Ministry, said that the quantities of oil allowed to be imported during the previous period were limited and did not meet the needs for operating and maintaining generators. He then warned that delaying oil changes exposes generators to mechanical failures that could lead to their shutdown.
In its Wednesday statement, the Ministry confirmed that providing limited quantities of oil as part of what it described as "emergency solutions" does not ensure the continued operation of generators amid their increasing consumption and maintenance needs. The Ministry did not specify the date of entry of the last oil shipment or its quantity, nor the volume that entered during October.
Medical departments previously halted
A shortage of oil and spare parts had previously caused the suspension of medical services at Gaza hospitals, including the Arab Al-Ahli Hospital "The Baptist" in Gaza City. On September 10, medical sources at the hospital announced the shutdown of its main electrical generator due to the depletion of oil and spare parts, which led to the suspension of the medical imaging department and the computed tomography scanner, and the postponement of surgical operations.
The Health Ministry also announced on September 13 that several hospital generators had stopped in previous days due to shortages of oil, fuel, and spare parts. Gaza hospitals rely on generators as a primary source of electricity to operate operating rooms, intensive care units, neonatal incubators, ventilators, and dialysis machines, since Israel cut off electricity supplies to the Strip in October 2023.
On the 11th of that month, the only power generation station in Gaza stopped due to fuel depletion, causing a comprehensive power outage, at a time when electricity lines, cables, and distribution networks had suffered widespread destruction during the genocidal war launched by Israel with US support. The destruction of the network hindered the re-supply of hospitals with electricity, forcing them to rely on generators for long hours to operate their medical departments.
The Health Ministry called on Wednesday on relevant authorities to assume their humanitarian responsibilities and intervene immediately to ensure the entry of necessary oil and spare parts to prevent the shutdown of remaining generators. The electricity crisis continues despite the ceasefire agreement taking effect since October 10, 2025, amid ongoing Israeli restrictions on importing supplies needed to rehabilitate the health system in the Strip.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Comments (0)