As the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas sees no sign of abating, Indonesian Hospital, the largest in northern Gaza, plunged into darkness following a power outage at dawn on Tuesday, October 24.
The power plant stopped working after running out of fuel, putting premature babies at risk of death.
The power went out simultaneously with the arrival of dozens of wounded people at a hospital following violent Israeli army raids on Gaza.
Video clips circulated on social media platforms showed that an Indonesian hospital in the Beit Lahia area plunged into complete darkness.
Another video showed medical teams at the hospital receiving patients carried by ambulance workers while using portable flashlights.
The electricity crisis comes following the announcement of Israel’s defence minister on Monday, October 9, of a “complete siege” to cut off power, food, water, and fuel in Gaza.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Hamas movement said the power outage at the Indonesian Hospital ‘crime against humanity’ and called on Arab countries and the United Nations to urgently remedy the power outage in the hospital and provide fuel supplies to operate electrical generators, SamaNews Agency reported.
The movement warned against the consequences of negligence in this matter, which means condemning all sick and wounded people to death in hospitals.
Dire situation at hospitals
Earlier on Tuesday, the health ministry in Gaza warned that electric generators at all hospitals will cease functioning within the next 48 hours due to a fuel shortage.
“We have less than 48 hours before all electric generators in hospitals run out of fuel,” ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qudra said in a brief statement on Telegram.
He emphasized the need for immediate aid distribution to hospitals in the besieged Gaza Strip, urging the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross to support this.
Hospitals are nearing collapse, operating at over 150 percent capacity, with surgeries being conducted without anaesthesia and sometimes under phone lights.
Shifa Hospital, the largest in Gaza, will also run out of fuel in the next 48 hours, according to charity ActionAid.
Iyad Abu Zahar al-Aqsa Hospital director in Gaza fears babies in the ward, unable to breathe independently, will perish once generators stop, the Associated Press reported.
“The responsibility on us is huge,” he said.
Doctors in Gaza are facing a significant challenge as at least 130 premature babies are at “grave risk” across six neonatal units.
Riham Jafari, advocacy and communications coordinator at ActionAid Palestine, urges urgent provision of fuel and medical supplies to Gaza hospitals, as they rely on fuel-powered generators, posing a significant risk to patients and pregnant women.
UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has warned that their supplies of fuel are running out, leaving them struggling to provide water or shelter.
“Without fuel, we cannot operate wells transfer drinking water, or start generators at UNRWA shelters,” said spokesperson Inas Hamdan.
Death toll from Israel-Hamas conflict
For the 18th day in a row, Israel continued to bomb civilians in various areas in the Gaza Strip, raising the death toll to 5,087, including 2,055 children, 1,119 women, 217 elderly people, and 15,273 citizens wounded.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced 35 employees were killed in the Gaza Strip.
On the Israeli side, at least 1,405 people have been killed, including 306 soldiers and 5,431 injured.
Latest updates
- Two Israeli hostages were released from Hamas custody on October 23, amid international pressure to free over 200 captives in Gaza.
- Israel’s military has intensified its aerial offensive on Hamas amid increasing calls for increased aid to be allowed into Gaza.
- Israeli air strikes have resulted in over 100 Palestinian deaths in al-Shati refugee camp in northern Gaza, as well as in Rafah and Khan Younis.
- The International Committee of the Red Cross says that 54 trucks carrying humanitarian aid have entered the Gaza Strip since Saturday, October 21.
- United Nations calls for an “immediate humanitarian truce” in Gaza.
- French President Emmanuel Macron is on a solidarity visit to Israel.
