Gaza’s Largest Functioning Hospital Out Of Service Amid Raids, Fuel Shortages

Amid fuel shortages and Israeli raids, Gaza’s largest hospital, which was still functioning, is now completely out of service, the local and United Nations officials have said. Nasser hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis went out of action early Sunday, Gaza health ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qidra said, according to Reuters. 

The hospital was sheltering several people who were recovering from war wounds and the worst health crisis in Gaza, but there was no fuel and not enough staff to treat them all, the health officials said, as per the report. 

Qidra told Reuters that because there was no water supply as the generators ran out of fuel for around three days and the health workers have not been able to treat intensive care patients. Health officials have also reported sewage flooding the emergency rooms. Since the generators are not working, oxygen supply has been cut which has resulted in the deaths of at least seven patients.

“It’s gone completely out of service. There are only four medical teams – 25 staff – currently caring for patients inside the facility,” Qidra was reported as saying.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a tweet on X on Sunday that Nasser hospital was “not functional anymore”. He said a WHO team was not allowed to enter Nasser Hospital on Friday or Saturday to deliver fuel for the generators. About 200 patients remained trapped in the hospital without food and water, including 20 who needed urgent referrals, he added.

Nasser hospital in #Gaza is not functional anymore, after a weeklong siege followed by the ongoing raid.

Both yesterday and the day before, the @WHO team was not permitted to enter the hospital to assess the conditions of the patients and critical medical needs, despite…

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) February 18, 2024

In the past four months, Gaza’s hospitals have been the focal point of the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas. Israel has devastated much of Gaza with its air and ground offensive and forced nearly all of its inhabitants to flee from their homes. Palestinian health authorities say 28,985 people, mostly civilians, have been killed.

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On Thursday, Israeli troops raided Nasser hospital. In a statement, the military claimed that hundreds of militants were hiding in the hospital and some even posed as medical staff. It released images of weapons alleging that these weapons were discovered alongside medications that were being transported from Israel. The intended recipients of these medications were reported to be over 100 hostages who had been abducted from Israel and were being held by Hamas.

Hamas dismissed the Israeli allegations and stated that they only serve as a pretext to destroy the healthcare system. 

No Healthcare Facilities In Gaza

According to Reuters, most of the hospitals in Gaza have been put out of service due to fighting and lack of fuel, it has left a population of 2.3 million without proper healthcare.Many international communities have said that hospitals and healthcare facilities must be protected under international law. 

The already devastated healthcare sector in Gaza suffered another setback as Israel geared up for an assault on Rafah, the southernmost city, which is now home to over a million Palestinians, predominantly displaced individuals living in dire conditions.