Gaza Strip – Hospitals in the Gaza Strip are facing severe challenges due to an acute fuel shortage, leading medical staff to resort to primitive methods for conducting surgeries. In a new release by the Palestinian Red Crescent, it was reported that surgeons at the Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza are performing procedures in darkened operating rooms using flashlights. This drastic situation arises from power outages caused by the ongoing fuel crisis.
According to Philippines News Agency, The Palestinian Red Crescent has indicated an imminent threat to the Al-Quds hospital’s operations due to the exhaustion of fuel reserves. Despite communication and internet disruptions lasting three days, the hospital staff is committed to maintaining operations. Currently, Al-Quds hospital is experiencing isolation with all access roads blocked, a consequence of the ongoing Israeli bombardment in the area. The Ministry of Health in Gaza has confirmed that 18 hospitals and 46 health centers have become non-operational due to Israeli strikes, severely impacting patient care.
This crisis has put over 3,000 children at risk of losing access to essential oncology and dialysis treatments. Additionally, approximately 50,000 pregnant women are without crucial prenatal and postnatal care for over a month. The situation worsened as almost all hospitals in the besieged Gaza Strip, including Al-Shifa, have been targeted in Israeli airstrikes. Israel’s air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which commenced following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas on October 7, have resulted in significant casualties. Official figures report at least 11,078 Palestinians killed, including 4,506 children and 3,027 women, while the Israeli death toll nears 1,600.