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Gaza Hospitals Warn Generator Oil Shortages Could Disrupt Critical Care
Hospitals in Gaza are warning that dwindling supplies of oil needed to run backup generators could disrupt electricity to departments providing life-saving care. Medical sources say hospitals need more than 2,500 litres of generator oil each month, while emergency supplies are too limited to sustain operations for long.
The warning comes as many health facilities rely on generators because Gaza’s electricity grid has been unavailable since the start of the war. At Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Reuters reported in September that one of four generators was out of service and the remaining units were under strain. Staff were rotating electricity between buildings, putting patients dependent on ventilators and other equipment at risk when power was unavailable.
The shortage involves generator oil, fuel and replacement parts. Medical sources warn that prolonged operation and limited maintenance supplies can accelerate equipment wear and increase the risk of breakdowns. Médecins Sans Frontières has also warned that shortages affect ambulances, water pumps and water trucks, disrupting services beyond hospitals.
Households are also struggling to afford electricity from private and neighbourhood generators. Reuters reported that residents said the cost of household power had risen about twentyfold in recent months as diesel, engine oil and spare parts became more expensive. Families who need electricity for medical equipment face especially difficult choices.
The Israeli agency COGAT told Reuters that a monitored mechanism facilitates the entry of engine oil, generator parts and hospital equipment, saying the oversight is intended to ensure supplies reach the population and prevent advanced equipment from reaching Hamas. Palestinian medical sources are calling for urgent, sustained access to the oil and parts hospitals need to keep generators operating.