Gaza: The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip has warned that a critical shortage of oil and spare parts required to operate hospital electricity generators is poised to halt health services, further deepening the already deteriorating medical and humanitarian crisis. In a statement released today, the ministry said the enclave's health system is grappling with numerous compounded challenges and crises imposed by the genocidal war, which has devastated the infrastructure of hospitals and primary care centers.
According to Oman News Agency, electricity generators have not been spared from direct attacks, with 90 generators rendered completely inoperable, 38 operating on severely limited oil supplies, and 11 requiring maintenance and spare parts to resume functioning. The ministry emphasized that these generators are at imminent risk of failure, having operated beyond maximum capacity around the clock for over two years. Engineering and technical teams are exerting extraordinary efforts to keep them running, recognizing these generators as the lifeline of Gaza's hospitals.
A generator shutdown, the ministry explained, would pose a direct threat to critical departments and place the lives of hundreds of patients in grave danger-particularly those in intensive care units, neonatal nurseries, and dialysis wards, all of which depend entirely on a stable electricity supply. The ministry further warned that loss of refrigeration due to generator failure threatens to spoil substantial quantities of sensitive medications, vaccines, blood units, and medical derivatives stored in laboratories. Such a development would inevitably force the postponement of scheduled surgeries, restricting operations to only the most urgent emergencies, thereby lengthening waiting lists and compounding patient suffering.
The ministry also cautioned against erratic electricity supply or reliance on unstable alternatives, as these cause technical malfunctions in expensive diagnostic and therapeutic equipment-devices that are nearly impossible to replace or repair under the ongoing blockade. An urgent appeal was issued to all relevant humanitarian, rights, and health organizations to intervene immediately to ensure the provision of adequate oil supplies and essential spare parts.