Health Ministry: Fuel in Gaza hospitals will run out in next 48 hours

The deputy Health Minister in the Gaza Strip, Yousef Abul-Rish, warned on Wednesday of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza’s hospitals because of the severe shortage of fuel.

“Fuel allotted for electricity generators will run out in 48 hours,” Abul-Rish said. “This means that kidney washing machines, other medical devices and all kinds of operations will stop working.”

According to the Palestinian Al-Resalah newspaper, this situation would affect all the hospitals and clinics in Gaza, likely resulting in unnecessary deaths.

The situation is especially grave following the military campaign waged last summer by Israeli forces against the Gaza Strip, which wounded many thousands of Palestinians, mostly civilians.

It is worth mentioning that the hospitals in the Gaza Strip, similar to other facilities in the besieged enclave, have electricity for only six hours each day. For the remainder of the time, they run on electricity generators that consume large amounts of fuel.

Meanwhile, Abul-Rish also warned that many kinds of medicines for chronic and critical diseases are running out and, in fact, some supplies have already been exhausted.

Abul-Rish placed most of the blame for the current situation on the strict Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip, but he also blamed the Palestinian unity government, accusing it of ignoring its duties regarding the hospitals in Gaza.