Gaza health care system 'totally collapsed': Health Ministry
A medical worker assists a premature Palestinian baby who lies in an incubator at the maternity ward of Shifa Hospital, in Gaza City, Palestine, Oct. 22, 2023. (Reuters Photo)


The Gazan Health Ministry revealed Tuesday that the health care system at the blockaded strip's hospitals has "totally collapsed."

The announcement came following an early Tuesday warning that electric generators would cease functioning within 48 hours due to 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 added that the mechanism followed to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza is "slow and cannot change the reality," stressing that "the health care system has reached the worst stage in its history."

Earlier Monday, the ministry said that 32 health centers are out of service due to targeting by Israeli warplanes and a fuel shortage.

It added that the immediate needs of hospitals must be prioritized in terms of aid distribution, urging the U.N. and the International Committee of the Red Cross to push for allowing supplies of fuel and blood units to support the health sector in the besieged Gaza Strip.

The Indonesian Hospital in Gaza was shut down as its vital facilities were disrupted Monday as a result of a power outage, according to medical sources.

Videos circulating online showed medical teams at the hospital receiving patients carried by ambulance workers while using portable flashlights.