Gaza's hospitals face the risk of power outages after the supplies of oil needed to operate their electricity generators ran out, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said on Wednesday, according to reporting by Anadolu Agency carried by Bernama and reported independently by Drop Site News and the Palestine Chronicle.

Source: Anadolu Agency via Bernama

The ministry cautioned that generator failures could disrupt critical and life-saving medical services. In its statement, the ministry said the remaining generators were operating under "complex engineering and technical conditions" and faced the risk of immediate mechanical failure and deterioration, and warned that a shutdown would disrupt power supplies to numerous vital departments and units providing life-saving care.

The ministry said hospitals require more than 2,500 litres of oil per month to operate their electricity generators. It added that it had repeatedly warned that emergency solutions providing only limited quantities of oil would not keep the generators running for much longer, particularly given their extended operating hours and urgent maintenance needs.

The ministry called on all relevant parties to fulfil their humanitarian responsibilities and intervene immediately to ensure the entry of the oil and spare parts needed to keep the generators running.

A health system already running on partial capacity

The warning comes on top of an already severely damaged health system. According to the World Health Organization figures cited in earlier reporting, as of September 24 only 19 of Gaza's 36 hospitals were partially operational, with none functioning at full capacity, amid critical shortages of essential medicines, diagnostic equipment, medical supplies and fuel.

The Health Ministry in Gaza is run by the Hamas-led administration, and its statements are reported here as its claims. Awaaz Punjab has not independently verified conditions inside individual hospitals.