The chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that a severe lack of fuel in the Gaza strip may have a catastrophic impact on already suffering health services in the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
WHO chief speaks out on Gaza
Devastating fuel shortages have been a continuous problem in the besieged Palestinian territory, which has been subject to relentless Israeli bombardment since Hamas’ brutal October 7th attack that sparked the ongoing conflict.
“Further disruption to health services is imminent in Gaza due to a severe lack of fuel,” WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said late Thursday on X, formerly Twitter.
The UN health agency warned that just 90,000 liters of fuel entered Gaza on Wednesday, noting that the health sector alone needs 80,000 liters daily. This situation is forcing WHO and its partners working in Gaza “to make impossible choices,” Tedros said.
Gaza is entirely closed off, and control over what enters is with the Israelis. Fuel, which has proven hard to get amid Israeli concerns that it could bolster Hamas fighters, is crucial in keeping hospital generators, as well as humanitarian and emergency vehicles, operating.
WHO stated that its partners were presently directing limited fuel supplies to key hospitals, including the Nasser Medical Complex and Al Amal Hospital in Khan Yunis and the Kuwaiti hospital in Rafah.
Fuel was also being given to 21 ambulances operated by the Palestinian Red Crescent “to prevent services from grinding to a halt,” Tedros stated. He highlighted that the European Gaza Hospital in Khan Yunis had been out of service since Tuesday and cautioned that “losing more hospitals in the Strip would be catastrophic.”
Hamas’ October 7th attack, which ignited Gaza’s deadliest war, resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures. Hamas fighters also took 251 hostages, 116 of whom remain in Gaza. Of the hostages, 42 are believed to no longer be alive.
Israel’s retaliation campaign has killed at least 38,011 people according to figures from the Hamas-run enclave’s health ministry.
Yesterday, US and Israeli officials said a breakthrough had been achieved following Hamas’ latest response to a ceasefire proposal. A senior US official stated that a framework has been established to reach a final agreement.
The Lebanese Islamic terrorist group Hezbollah has said it launched more than 200 rockets and drones targeting Israeli military positions. This was one day after its senior commander Muhammad Nimah Nasser was killed in an Israeli attack.
Dozens of Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza, including Jabalia and Gaza City in the north and Khan Younis in the south of the enclave.
