Patients in Gaza are in desperate need of health supplies as the Israeli imposed blockade continues [Getty]
Hospitals in Gaza are on the brink of collapse as patients are left without oxygen supplies and vital aid following Israel’s decision to reinstate a full blockade on the enclave on 2 March.
The move has triggered a worsening humanitarian disaster with Palestinian health officials warning that the blockade is putting the lives of hundreds of patients at risk.
Israel has closed all crossings into Gaza, preventing humanitarian assistance from entering the territory and raising concerns that some areas could face famine.
According to various reports, the move is intended to pressure Hamas to extend the first phase of the ceasefire deal and release all captives, instead of progressing to the second stage of the truce as initially agreed.
The blockade has had a devastating impact on hospitals, with wounded patients and those with chronic conditions most severely affected by dwindling oxygen supplies.
Bassam al-Hamadin, assistant undersecretary of the Palestinian ministry of health, warned that the situation is rapidly deteriorating.
“The suffering of patients in intensive care, operating rooms, and those who need ventilators has been compounded by the lack of oxygen supplies,” al-Hamadin told Arabic media.
Israeli forces had deliberately destroyed electromechanical systems and oxygen generation stations in Gaza hospitals, he said, adding that the move had left at least ten stations out of service – including four at the al-Shifa Medical Complex and two at the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza.
Al-Hamadin also repeated calls for at least 30 electric generators to address the worsening power crisis, which has further disrupted hospital operations. Medical facilities are also struggling to maintain and repair existing generators due to a lack of equipment.
The health ministry estimates that around 400 patients in intensive care and newborn units urgently need oxygen, while at least 70 others in operating rooms require oxygen supplies around the clock.
Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza on 7 October 2023, at least 34 hospitals have been destroyed, leaving only a handful of facilities functioning at limited capacity. Medical supplies remain critically low despite a fragile ceasefire agreed earlier this year.
International aid organisations and rights groups have condemned Israel’s blockade and the halt to humanitarian aid deliveries. The UN children’s agency UNICEF warned that nearly 1 million children are now without essentials.
“Approximately 4,000 newborns cannot access critical care due to devastated medical facilities,” said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF’s Middle East and North Africa regional director.
“Every day without these ventilators, vulnerable lives, especially premature babies in northern Gaza, are lost.”
