The United Nations warns that the lack of fuel in Gaza threatens to close many hospitals in the besieged territory, putting the lives of sick people and newborns “at grave risk”.
The UN condemnation of the “deliberate and systematic” attack on Gaza hospitals came as continuous attacks on Israel They have killed more than 50 Palestinians in the last 24 hours.
Health officials in Gaza said on Thursday that the Al-Aqsa, Nasser and European hospitals are at risk of being closed soon, after repeated Israeli bombings and blockades, as they face the same situation. Kamal Adwan, Hospitals in Indonesia and Al-Awda.
Al Jazeera's Hani Mahmoud, from Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir el-Balah, said the area is now “overwhelmed” by the number of injured, many of whom are women and children. who were now faced with riots for 15 months.
“Doctors are reporting severe shortages of essential items, including surgical supplies, antibiotics and painkillers,” he said.
Dr Bushra Othman, a senior surgeon and volunteer at the hospital, said the situation was being assessed every 24 hours, as authorities tried to restore the situation.
“At any time during the day, power and electricity will be cut off, and certain areas must be protected such as the operating room, the intensive care unit, including the hospital,” he told Al Jazeera.
At Nasser Hospital, Doctors Without Borders warned that the lives of 15 babies born in incubators are at risk due to the lack of fuel for generators that provide electricity to the area.
“Without fuel, these newborns are at risk of losing their lives,” said Pascale Coissard, MSF's emergency director.
Al Jazeera's Tareq Abu Azzoum, also reporting from Deir el-Balah, said the atmosphere in the Palestinian territories is “full of anxiety and fear”.
“What we have seen in the last 24 hours has been very bloody. The number of people who have died since the previous day has been incredible,” he said.
On Thursday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) renewed its call for an end to the conflict. “More aid must come to Gaza and a ceasefire is more important than ever,” the group wrote on X.
Despite the UN appeal, Israel continued to bombard the Gaza Strip.
Medical sources told Al Jazeera Arabic that at least six Palestinians were killed in the early hours in central and southern Gaza, while another eight were killed in Jabalia in northern Gaza.
Wafa newspaper reported that four Palestinians, including three children, were killed in the Nuseirat refugee camp while several others are missing under the rubble.
Wafa said Israeli gunmen had killed at least 51 people and wounded 78 others in the past 24 hours.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed 46,006 Palestinians and injured at least 109,378 others, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis on Thursday added to his criticism of the Israeli army as “dangerous and shameful”.
In his annual address to the ambassadors who presented him and his assistant on Thursday, the Pope appeared to be referring to the deaths caused by cold weather in Gaza, where there is no electricity.
“We cannot accept that children are freezing to death because hospitals are damaged or the power of the country is affected,” the statement of his address said.