SAEDNEWS: Under Israel’s unrelenting blockade, Gaza’s dwindling fuel reserves have forced hospitals and civil defence services to halt critical operations, leaving patients and the wounded perilously close to death.
According to Saed News, Gaza’s humanitarian infrastructure is teetering on collapse as fuel supplies run dry under Israel’s ongoing siege. After more than four months without meaningful deliveries, hospitals have been forced to switch off generators in intensive care units and suspend life‑saving treatments such as dialysis. Meanwhile, civil defence crews struggle to respond to emergencies, often calculating whether the scant litres remaining in each vehicle will suffice to complete rescue missions.
On Wednesday, Israel permitted a 75,000‑litre fuel shipment—the first in over 120 days—but aid agencies warn it falls woefully short of the enclave’s daily needs. In central Gaza municipalities, where hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people shelter, authorities have suspended electricity, water pumping and waste removal entirely.
Mohammad Basal, spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defence, describes an “unbearable burden” as his teams resort to black‑market diesel or hazardous synthetic fuel made from recycled plastic. “We’re deciding which emergencies to tackle and which to leave,” he says, noting that break‑downs mid‑mission now endanger both rescuers and civilians.
Ismail al‑Thawabteh, director of Gaza’s Government Media Office, warns that more than 9,000 lives have already been lost due to closed crossings and fuel shortages, with half a million surgeries indefinitely postponed. He decries the blockade as a “flagrant violation of international humanitarian law” and appeals urgently for unfettered entry of fuel and medical supplies.
Without immediate action to lift the siege and restore energy flows, Gaza faces a humanitarian calamity far beyond its already dire circumstances.