According to Palestinian sources, the largest medical center in the center of the Gaza Strip is at risk of immediate closure. The background was that the facility was closed after Israeli troops occupied the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt in early May, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health. The crossing is a major transport route for fuel supplies for generators within the Palestinian territories.
The Health Ministry added on Thursday afternoon that the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Bala must cease operations within two hours. After dark, the hospital’s power supply appeared to have been cut off, footage obtained by Andhra News Agency showed. It was initially unclear whether it had already been closed.
There was a power outage on Friday night. It is not yet clear whether the hospital has been forced to close.
AFP
More than 600 patients and injured are said to be receiving treatment at the hospital. Additionally, around 650 dialysis patients rely on treatment there. The ministry has further warned that if the clinic is closed, their lives will be at risk. The hospital received 3,000 liters of fuel on Wednesday but needs 5,000 liters per day to maintain operations.
According to the UN, if Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Hospital fails, only two hospitals in Deir al-Bala will remain operational. To Deir al-Bala, many Palestinians fled Rafah, where the Israeli army launched an offensive. Israel views Rafah as the last stronghold of the militant Islamist group, which sparked the Gaza war with an Oct. 7 terror attack on southern Israel.
The health sector in the Gaza Strip has only a third of the area’s 36 hospitals still functional. (DPA)
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