Fuel shortage forces Gaza hospital to suspend most services

A major Gaza hospital says it has suspended several services because of critical fuel shortages in the enclave.

Ravaged by more than two years of war, the Al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza’s Nuseirat district cares for around 60 inpatients and receives nearly 1,000 people seeking medical treatment each day.

“Most services have been temporarily stopped due to a shortage of the fuel needed for the generators,” says Ahmed Mehanna, a senior official involved in managing the hospital.

“Only essential departments remain operational: the emergency unit, maternity ward and pediatrics.”

To keep these services running, the hospital has been forced to rent a small generator, he adds.

Under normal conditions, Al-Awda Hospital consumes between 1,000 and 1,200 liters of diesel per day. At present, however, it has only 800 liters available.

“We stress that this shutdown is temporary and linked to the availability of fuel,” Mehanna says, warning that a prolonged fuel shortage “would pose a direct threat to the hospital’s ability to deliver basic services.”