Fuel shortage shuts down last functioning hospital in northern Gaza

Kamal Adwan Hospital's operations have come to complete halt, says Gaza-based Health Ministry

The only functioning hospital in the northern Gaza Strip was forced to halt operations Wednesday due to a fuel shortage, leaving residents devoid of essential health care services. In a statement, the Gaza-based Health Ministry said Kamal Adwan Hospital has been shut down. The statement highlighted that there is a complete cessation of activity at the hospital due to a lack of fuel and the inability to operate generators. Residents of the region cannot receive dialysis services, intensive care, pediatric care, internal medicine, cardiology care, general surgery and overnight and pediatric emergency services, it said. Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population on the verge of starvation, particularly residents of northern Gaza. Israel has launched a deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border incursion by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7. The ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed 29,954 people and injured over 70,000 with mass destruction and shortages of necessities. The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN. Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.