Gaza’s main hospital, Al-Shifa, is facing a collapse as Israeli forces surround it and cut off fuel and electricity. The loss of power and oxygen has already resulted in the deaths of a premature baby in an incubator and several other patients, according to the hospital director and the Gaza health ministry.
The hospital has been relying on backup generators and a dwindling supply of fuel, but now it has run out. The lack of fuel has caused the hospital to plunge into darkness and its medical equipment to stop working.
Thousands of seriously ill and wounded patients, as well as displaced people, are trapped inside Al-Shifa and other Gaza City hospitals while Israeli tanks and snipers surround the compounds. Israeli troops and Hamas fighters are engaged in intense combat nearby.
The Israeli military has stated that they are closing in on the hospitals and urged people to leave. However, those who attempted to flee on Saturday, including a family, were shot at by Israeli snipers, resulting in at least one death.
The Israeli military denies any siege or shooting at Al-Shifa, claiming they can coordinate with anyone who wants to leave. They have accused Hamas of using the hospital as a shield, an allegation that both the hospital administration and Hamas have denied.
The escalation of strikes and fighting near Gaza City hospitals has worsened an already catastrophic medical crisis in the territory. Al-Shifa has numerous premature babies in incubators that are no longer functioning, and other hospitals are also running out of fuel to power generators.
The director general of the World Health Organization has condemned the attacks on health care facilities in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, describing the situation as impossible to describe.
The power outage in Gaza is a result of the month-long Israeli siege, which has cut off essential supplies including water, food, electricity, and fuel. Surgeons are now forced to operate by flashlight, while medical workers are performing surgeries without anesthesia.
The dire situation has left Al-Shifa unable to operate on new patients and has put the neonatal unit in a critical condition. With no electricity or medicine, the hospital is overwhelmed with displaced and wounded people.
Residents are praying for protection as they seek refuge in hospitals with limited resources.
Rawan Sheikh Ahmad and Aaron Boxerman contributed reporting.