CNN
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Doctors in Gaza say they were forced to cram multiple babies into one incubator as hospitals warned that fuel shortages were forced to stop critical services and put patients at risk.
The UN warns that the fuel crisis is a critical point, with the small available supply being short and “virtually no additional accessible stocks remain.”
“The hospitals are being distributed. Ambulances are stuck. The water system is on the brink, and unless Israeli authorities allow new fuel urgently, regularly and in sufficient quantities, deaths caused by this could quickly spike.”
The 11-week Israeli lockdown on humanitarian assistance at the beginning of the year led to the enclave’s population of over 2 million Palestinians facing hunger, deepening the humanitarian crisis. Limited aid delivery was reopened in May in the enclave, but the aid group said it wasn’t the only way to meet the scale of its needs.
CNN approached Cogat, an Israeli agency responsible for coordinating the delivery of aid to Gaza, for comments on fuel shortages.
The director of Al Ali Hospital, south of Gaza city, posted photos on social media on Wednesday, posting photos of multiple newborn babies sharing a single incubator taken at another facility, Al Herrow.
“This tragic overcrowding is not just a matter of missing equipment. It is a direct result of the relentless war with Gaza and the choking blockade that has crippled the entire health care system.”
“The siege transformed the daily care of premature babies into a struggle for life or death. We should not be born into a world where bombs and blockades decide whether to live or die.”
The director of Alsifa Hospital in northern Gaza said the shortage has forced the kidney dialysis section to close, allowing them to concentrate on intensive care and theater.
“If fuel is not available in the next few hours to Alsifa Hospital, the hospital will no longer be working for the next three hours, which will lead to many deaths,” Dr. Mohammad Abu Sirmiyah told CNN, telling CNN that hundreds of patients are at risk, including 22 babies in the incubator.
Videos from inside the hospital were shown by doctors using flashlights to treat patients.
Another facility, Nasser Medical Complex, said it had 24 hours of fuel left and was concentrated in key departments such as childbirth and intensive care.
In addition to fuel shortages, it is also forced to shut down more due to the difficulty of finding replacement parts for generators that will power the risks of hospitals in Gaza.
“Not only is fuel a major issue for operating a hospital generator, our main issue is that the generators now find spare parts to replace the old ones,” Gaza’s health ministry told CNN on Wednesday.
The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza issued an urgent statement that the facility’s main generator had broken down due to a lack of spare parts, forcing it to rely on smaller backup units.
“The fuel will run out within the next few hours, putting hundreds of patients at risk within the ward,” the statement said.
“The closure of hospitals is threatening to disrupt the health services of half a million people in the central government.”
Beyond hospitals, fuel is essential to continuing to carry out basic services in Gaza. The territory relies heavily on the power of vehicles used for cooking, desalination, importing wastewater plants, and rescue operations.
Israel has restricted fuel intrusion during conflict, and previously claimed Hamas could use it to fire weapons.
Doctors from the aid group warned in a statement Tuesday about what was called an “unprecedented humanitarian crisis” that was unfolding in Gaza, calling for a ceasefire and much greater levels of humanitarian aid entry.
“Our team has been treating the injured, treating the overwhelmed hospitals as indiscriminate attacks and working to make the siege threaten millions of men, women and children,” MSF said.
“We urge the accomplice government that will now siege these atrocities, including the Israeli government and the British government, and allow them to take action to prevent the elimination of Palestinians from Gaza.”
