Gaza hospitals face risk of power outages as generator oil runs out

Gaza’s hospitals face the risk of power outages after supplies of oil needed to operate their electricity generators ran out, the Health Ministry warned on Wednesday, cautioning that generator failures could disrupt critical and life-saving medical services.

In a statement, the ministry said the remaining generators were operating under “complex engineering and technical conditions and faced the risk of immediate mechanical failure and deterioration.”

It warned that the shutdown of the generators would “disrupt power supplies to numerous vital departments and units providing life-saving care.”

The ministry said hospitals require more than 2,500 liters of oil per month to operate their electricity generators.

It added that it had repeatedly warned that emergency solutions providing limited quantities of oil would not allow the generators to operate for much longer, particularly given their extended operating hours and urgent maintenance needs.

The ministry called on all relevant parties to “fulfill their humanitarian responsibilities and intervene immediately to ensure the entry of the oil and spare parts needed to keep the generators running.”

Gaza’s healthcare system continues to struggle amid widespread damage to the enclave’s infrastructure and ongoing Israeli violations of the Gaza ceasefire, which have killed more than 1,500 over the past year.

Overall, since October 2023, Israel has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians, injured 175,000 others and destroyed or damaged about 90% of the enclave’s infrastructure.