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War between Hamas and Israel: fuel shortage in Gaza, hospitals in danger
The Gaza Strip lacks water, electricity and now essential fuel, particularly to operate hospital generators. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has warned: its operations will cease as of Wednesday evening, October 25, if a solution is not found. – (franceinfo)
The Gaza Strip lacks water, electricity and now essential fuel, particularly to operate hospital generators. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has warned: its operations will cease as of Wednesday evening, October 25, if a solution is not found.
How long before a humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip? At Al-Shifa Hospital, patients are treated on the floor, and working conditions are increasingly difficult. “Staff are unable to operate the central sterilization machine to prepare our surgical equipment. The electricity continues to be cut off. We are completely dependent on fuel, which no longer arrives“, says Ghassan Abu Sitta, surgeon.
An unsustainable situation
Fuel, vital for the hospital, is also essential for residents. Before the war, 45 tanker trucks arrived in Gaza every day. Since the start of the conflict, only six have crossed the border into Egypt. The situation is unbearable, according to Thomas White, of the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees. “We need fuel to get into Gaza, otherwise the hospitals will close. We will stop the supply of drinking water, because the desalination plants will no longer be able to operate“, he said.