The health ministry in Gaza has announced that 70 percent of electricity generators at hospitals across the enclave have ceased operations. This critical failure is directly attributed to the ongoing Israeli blockade, which has severely restricted the entry of essential fuel, oil, and spare parts required to maintain power for medical facilities.
Speaking at a press conference held at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on Wednesday, Zaher Al-Wahidi, director of the ministry’s Health Information Centre, warned that the lack of fuel and oil risks bringing life-saving departments to a complete halt at any moment. Al-Wahidi rejected official Israeli claims that it is facilitating the entry of medical and logistical supplies, describing such assertions as attempts to improve its international image while concealing a campaign of ethnic cleansing. He stated that the limited supplies currently allowed into the enclave do not meet even the minimum operational requirements, leaving health facilities struggling between life and death.
The crisis has extended beyond power generation, with Al-Wahidi noting that the fuel shortage forced public transport companies to announce a complete or near-total halt in operations on Wednesday. This disruption has prevented hundreds of medical workers from reaching their workplaces, further isolating health facilities and severely hampering their ability to respond to emergencies. He described the hospitals as isolated structures slowly dying under the comprehensive blockade.
Furthermore, the health system is grappling with an unprecedented shortage of medicines and medical supplies, the breakdown of diagnostic equipment, and the closure of treatment routes for patients and the wounded on waiting lists. Al-Wahidi characterized the situation as a systematic and mass execution, moving beyond a humanitarian catastrophe to a fully fledged health genocide. He urged the international community, the UN Security Council, the World Health Organization, and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to take immediate and urgent action to ensure the entry of essential supplies.
Since the start of the war in October 2023, the health ministry reports that nearly 74,000 Palestinians have been killed and over 174,000 wounded, while approximately 90 percent of the enclave's infrastructure has been destroyed.
