United Nations warned this Monday that it must suspend its operations humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip within “48 hours” due to the lack of fuel, which left hospitals in the north of the Palestinian territory out of service, according to the Islamist movement Hamas at war against Israel.
The UN has been asking for several weeks to allow fuel to enter Loopbut Israel claims that the arrival of the supply could benefit the military operations of Hamas, which governs the meager 362 km2 territory.
The Gaza Strip has been bombed since October 7, in response to the attack carried out Hamas and which left nearly 1,200 dead, mostly civilians, according to Israeli authorities.
“Humanitarian operations in Gaza will be paralyzed in the next 48 hours, as fuel is not allowed in,” said Thomas White, the director of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), on X (formerly Twitter).
The Hamas Health Ministry said Monday that hospitals in the northern Palestinian territory, where bloody fighting is taking place between Hamas militants and Israeli troops, were “Out of service”.
The Al Shifa hospital, the largest in Gaza, still houses 2,300 people, including patients, employees and displaced people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Thousands of civilians sought refuge in this compound located in Gaza City after the ground offensive launched on October 27 by Israel, with the objective of “annihilate” the Islamist group.
According to Hamas, more than 11,100 people have been killed by the Israeli offensive since the start of the conflict, mostly civilians.
Death of “premature babies”
“There are dozens of dead and hundreds of wounded that we cannot care for. The ambulances are paralyzed because they are shot when they leave,” said the hospital director, Mohamad Abu Salmiya.
The director of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, described the situation in Al Shifa as “serious and dangerous” due to the lack of electricity and water, a consequence of the siege imposed by Israel on Gaza for more than a month.
Several witnesses reported that during the night there was intense bombing and reported that there are tanks and armored vehicles a few meters from the hospital entrance.
Israel accuses Hamas of hiding military infrastructure inside health facilities.
Yusef Abu Rish, Deputy Minister of Health of the government of Hamasindicated that since Saturday “seven premature babies” and “27 patients in intensive care” have died due to a lack of electricity at Al Shifa hospital.
Mohamad Shtayyeh, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank, asked the UN and the European Union on Monday to airdrop aid to northern Gaza, where the fighting is centered.
Israel announced that it will establish a “runner” in Gaza for civilians to evacuate the Al Shifa hospital area.
“Intense fighting”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Sunday to the American network NBC that there is the possibility of an agreement to free the nearly 240 hostages that Hamas took to Loop during the offensive launched in Israel.
“The less I talk about it, the more I increase the chances of it coming to fruition.””Netanyahu summarized.
The Israeli military reported that its soldiers continue to launch “raids against terrorist infrastructure installed in government buildings, among the civilian population, including schools, universities and mosques.”
At least 44 soldiers were killed in the offensive, the Israeli army reported.
The European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, called for pauses this Monday “real” in the fighting in Gaza, allowing the urgent delivery of fuel to keep hospitals operating.
“More than half of the hospitals in the Gaza Strip stopped working, mainly due to lack of fuel,” Lenarcic indicated.
Patients “without attention”
UN offices around the world lowered their flags to half-mast this Monday as a sign of mourning and observed a minute of silence in tribute to the nearly 100 organization workers killed in Gaza during the conflict.
The situation is also critical for other health centers in the Palestinian territory, said Mohamed Zaqut, director of the Gaza hospital network.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said another hospital, the Al Quds center, stopped operating on Sunday due to a lack of fuel.
“The Israeli army ordered us to leave Al Quds hospital”Islam Shamalá reported that she had to walk a dozen kilometers with her daughter in her arms, her husband and her three other children who are advancing with difficulty.
About 1.6 million of the Gaza Strip’s 2.4 million residents have fled their homes since the start of the war.
In the south of this Palestinian territory, near the border crossing with Egypthundreds of thousands of displaced people wait in crowded conditions for the entry of humanitarian aid that arrives very slowly and is insufficient, according to the UN.
Source: AFP
Source: Gestion
Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
