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25-10-2023
GAZA CITY: Doctors in the Gaza Strip have warned of the “catastrophic consequences” in case of electricity supply interruption as fuel in the hospitals possibly running out in the next 48 hours amid the relentless bombardment of the besieged territory by the Israeli forces.
Any infants relying on ventilators would not survive, leaving doctors helpless to save them. Dr Fu’ad al-Bulbul, head of the neonatal department unit at Al-Shifa Hospital, spoke about the dire situation in a video released by the Gaza Ministry of Health.
“Most of (the) babies depend(ing) on ventilators will die because we can save only one (or) two babies but, we cannot save all babies,” he said.
He expressed concern over the low fuel supplies that are essential to keeping the hospital generators on and electricity running.
The UN agency aiding Palestine refugees (UNRWA) also cautioned that its fuel reserves will deplete in three days, putting humanitarian efforts in Gaza in jeopardy.
This situation highlights the urgent need for a resolution to the ongoing crisis in Gaza.
The nursery at Al-Shifa Hospital, which has 45 incubators, predominantly cares for preterm babies resulting from high-risk pregnancies, al-Bulbul said.
“Unfortunately, at the moment we do have not any medical supply, the essential drugs which are essential drugs as lifesaving for baby in the first two hours of life,” he said.
The doctor revealed a severe shortage of essential medicines, including surfactant and caffeine citrate, due to the unit being overwhelmed with caseloads, most infants being critically ill, and the medical team working 18 consecutive days, leaving them exhausted.
Scores of Palestinians were martyred in central Gaza on Sunday after Israel stepped up its strikes on the war-torn enclave and another convoy of 17 aid trucks arrived as Gaza faces “catastrophic” shortages.
With the violence raging unchecked, Iran said the region could spiral “out of control”. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stark warning to Lebanon’s Hezbollah, saying getting involved would be “the mistake of its life”.
Washington warned any actors looking to inflame the conflict that it would not hesitate to act in the event of any “escalation”.
Hamas fighters in Gaza stormed across the border into Israel on October 7, launching a raid that killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials.
They also seized more than 200 hostages in the worst-ever attack in Israel’s history.
Meanwhile, Israel has hit back with a relentless bombing campaign which has so far martyred more than 4,600 Palestinians, mainly civilians and over 1,000 children, according to Gaza’s health ministry. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
