The Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip warned of the imminent collapse and complete shutdown of the generator system in the remaining hospitals in the Strip. The Ministry emphasized that the crisis has escalated beyond the “warning” stage, threatening an immediate and total power cut to vital and life-saving departments due to a severe shortage of engine oil.
In a press statement issued on Saturday, October 24, the Ministry explained that engineering and technical teams are working under extremely difficult field conditions in a desperate attempt to keep the generators operational, given the rapidly depleting oil reserves inside the engines.
The Ministry indicated that technical teams are forced to resort to reverse engineering modifications and the continuous recycling of the meager remaining oil supplies to prevent the generators from shutting down. It described these measures as “temporary, emergency solutions that have expired and exhausted the generators’ remaining operational capacity.”
The Ministry of Health stressed that continuing to operate the generators without the necessary oil constitutes a serious violation of all approved engineering and technical standards. She warned that this situation would inevitably lead to catastrophic breakdowns, turning the generators into “damaged, unusable scrap metal,” especially given the severe shortage of spare parts. She explained that the crisis was no longer limited to a shortage of oil, but had reached the point where the generators themselves were mechanically unable to continue operating.
Faced with this complex and dangerous situation, the Ministry of Health issued a renewed and urgent appeal to all international organizations and donor agencies, urging them to respond to the pleas of the technical teams and intervene immediately to supply the necessary oils and technical equipment to ensure the continued operation of hospitals and save the lives of thousands of patients and the wounded.
