Premature babies at risk of mass death in Gaza as hospitals come to a standstill

The director general of the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, Dr Munir Al-Barsh, has warned that hospitals would come to a complete standstill within 48 hours due to a severe fuel shortage, in an “unprecedented humanitarian disaster”.

Hospitals in Gaza: a complete standstill within the next 48 hours

Al-Barsh explained that the Israeli occupation continues to directly target the health system, pointing to the destruction of Al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital and Al-Ayoun Hospital, the complete shutdown of Hamad Rehabilitation Hospital, and the bombing of a medical relief center in central Gaza. He added that the occupation has disabled or destroyed 38 hospitals since the start of the war, leaving only 13 hospitals partially operational. These are largely unable to meet the needs of thousands of patients and wounded.

Al-Barsh said that the remaining fuel reserves are only enough to operate vital departments for two days, warning that the loss of electricity to incubators, respirators, and intensive care units would mean:

mass deaths of patients and premature babies.

He added that the oncology, kidney, and heart departments at Al-Rantisi Hospital are out of service, leaving hundreds of patients without treatment.

Al-Barsh emphasised that the occupation is systematically targeting the health system by destroying facilities and killing personnel. The number of martyrs among medical staff has risen to 1,723, including doctors, nurses, and pharmacists.

Al-Barsh called on international institutions to provide urgent protection for medical personnel and ensure the immediate delivery of fuel and medical supplies, in addition to the need to evacuate some 16,000 critically ill patients who cannot be treated within the Strip.

Systematic destruction of Gaza’s health infrastructure

These warnings come as the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of the collapse of the health system in Gaza due to the blockade and fuel shortages, confirming that hospitals are operating at double their capacity amid unprecedented overcrowding.

The ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza, with US support since 7 October 2023, has so far left more than 65,000 martyrs and 166,000 wounded. Most of them are children and women.

For years, the Gaza Strip has suffered from a tight blockade imposed by Israel, which has led to a severe deterioration in infrastructure, particularly in the health sector. Many hospitals are operating at limited capacity and suffer from a shortage of basic medical equipment and medicines, making any military escalation a direct threat to civilian lives.

Targeting medical facilities and health personnel is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, and international organisations have repeatedly called for the protection of personnel and hospitals. Reports indicate that most of the medical personnel killed were attempting to provide care to the wounded in extremely difficult conditions, further exacerbating the fragility of the health system in Gaza.

Feature image via Al Jazeera English/Youtube