Gaza Hospitals Face Fuel Crisis: Babies Crammed into Incubators Amidst War

Gaza Hospitals Struggle as Fuel Crisis Imperils Newborns

Gaza's largest hospital, Al Shifa, is facing a dire situation as critical fuel shortages force doctors to place multiple premature babies in single incubators. This drastic measure is a desperate attempt to keep the newborns alive amidst the ongoing conflict.

Healthcare System on the Brink

Medics report that dwindling fuel supplies threaten to plunge the region's hospitals and clinics into darkness, effectively paralyzing healthcare services. The sector has already been heavily impacted by 21 months of war.

"We are forced to place four, five, or sometimes three premature babies in one incubator," said Dr. Mohammed Abu Selmia, director of Al Shifa. "Premature babies are now in a very critical condition."

Conflicting Reports on Fuel Delivery

An Israeli military official stated that approximately 160,000 litres of fuel had entered Gaza, destined for hospitals and humanitarian facilities. However, the distribution of this fuel is reportedly not under Israel's control.

Dire Conditions at Al Shifa and Nasser Medical Complex

Al Shifa's dialysis department has been shut down to protect the intensive care unit and operating rooms, which cannot function without electricity. There are around 100 premature babies in Gaza City hospitals whose lives are at serious risk.

At Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, doctors are performing surgeries without electricity or air conditioning, with staff sweat dripping into patients' wounds.

"You can have the best hospital staff on the planet, but if they are denied the medicines and the pain killers and now the very means for a hospital to have light ... it becomes an impossibility," said James Elder, a Unicef spokesperson.