In Gaza, Nasser Hospital, Al-Aqsa Hospital, and European Gaza Hospital are on the verge of closure due to a lack of fuel.
This situation is threatening the lives of hundreds of patients, including newborns, who depend on electricity to stay alive, warns Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). MSF teams are transferring fuel to Nasser and Al-Aqsa Hospitals as a temporary solution, but this will only allow the hospitals to run for the next 36 to 48 hours.
As of January 8, electricity at the MSF-supported Nasser Hospital might be cut off in some departments, leaving people without lifesaving care. MSF’s pediatric department in Nasser Hospital has been full since July, illustrating the immense medical needs in the region. Currently, in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), MSF is treating three children and four newborns with mechanical ventilation, as well as 15 newborns in incubators. All are dependent on electricity provided by fuel generators as electricity infrastructure has been destroyed in the war.
“Without fuel, these newborns are at risk of losing their lives,” said Pascale Coissard, MSF emergency coordinator. “The babies in incubators rely on constant electricity for the ventilators that are keeping them alive. They are already in an extremely vulnerable state, and any transfer to other hospitals would directly endanger their lives. Putting the lives of children at risk like this is unacceptable and is a consequence of Israel’s ongoing blockade and continuous looting of lifesaving supplies.”
All parties must do more to facilitate the entry of fuel into Gaza and to ensure its safe delivery to medical facilities. The dismantling of Gaza’s health system by the Israeli blockade, which is endangering people’s lives, must stop immediately.
An impossible situation at Nasser Hospital
At Nasser Hospital, which has a capacity of 500 beds, MSF teams are providing emergency, maternity, pediatric, burns, and trauma care. Many of these patients need a consistent oxygen supply, which requires fuel. MSF teams are treating over 100 cases of pneumonia on average each month, some needing oxygen support, as winter temperatures and poor living conditions are fueling illness. At the same time, MSF teams are performing more than 100 cesarean sections each month, all of which require a constant supply of electricity.
“It’s an impossible situation because even if we prioritize the little fuel that is left to the most urgent departments, we know that they won’t last more than 36 to 48 hours,” said Julie Faucon, MSF medical team leader in Gaza. “While some patients are hanging by a thread, the lack of sustained electricity is impacting the level of care we can provide to those with burns and trauma.”
MSF and other organizations have been warning for over a year that the woefully inadequate supply of aid is threatening the lives of people in Gaza. People cannot find even the most basic necessities like food, clean water, medicines, and soap amid a punishing siege and blockade. In December 2024, an average of only 59 trucks per day carrying vital supplies were able to enter Gaza, compared to 500 trucks entering per day prior to October 7, 2023, according to the United Nations.
