Gaza Hospital Generators on Brink as Oil Stocks Hit Zero
(MENAFN) Gaza hospitals face the imminent loss of backup power after supplies of generator operating oil ran dry, Gaza’s Health Ministry warned Thursday, as Israel’s blockade of the enclave drags on.
In a statement, the ministry said its engineering crews are working in difficult conditions to monitor the machines and keep electricity flowing to critical hospital departments.
“Generators have been running for thousands of continuous hours without sufficient oil or maintenance, bringing them to the final point of mechanical danger,” the ministry said.
“If generator engines burn out because of the lack of oil, they could become permanently unusable even if supplies become available later,” it warned.
The ministry renewed its call for urgent intervention, stressing that the crisis now goes beyond obtaining operating oil. The remaining generators must also be shielded from total failure, it said.
The alarm follows a Wednesday announcement that oil stocks for hospital generators had been exhausted. The ministry said more than 2,500 liters are urgently needed every month to keep the surviving units from collapsing, blaming Israeli restrictions on the entry of operating and maintenance supplies. It cautioned that the ongoing shortage threatens to shut down life-saving medical departments.
The situation was already dire in September, when the ministry reported that 70% of hospital generators had gone out of service due to shortages of fuel, oil and spare parts, which it attributed to the Israeli blockade.
Generators have been the lifeline for operating rooms, intensive care units, neonatal incubators, ventilators and dialysis machines in Gaza hospitals since Israel cut electricity supplies to the enclave in October 2023.
Gaza’s only power plant shut down on Oct. 11, 2023, after running out of fuel, plunging the territory into a total blackout. Power lines, cables and distribution networks were also widely destroyed during the war, and that damage has kept hospitals from reconnecting to the grid, leaving them reliant on generators for extended periods.
The power crisis has persisted even though a ceasefire agreement has been in effect since Oct. 10, 2025, with Israeli restrictions still limiting the supplies needed to rehabilitate Gaza’s health system.
In a statement, the ministry said its engineering crews are working in difficult conditions to monitor the machines and keep electricity flowing to critical hospital departments.
“Generators have been running for thousands of continuous hours without sufficient oil or maintenance, bringing them to the final point of mechanical danger,” the ministry said.
“If generator engines burn out because of the lack of oil, they could become permanently unusable even if supplies become available later,” it warned.
The ministry renewed its call for urgent intervention, stressing that the crisis now goes beyond obtaining operating oil. The remaining generators must also be shielded from total failure, it said.
The alarm follows a Wednesday announcement that oil stocks for hospital generators had been exhausted. The ministry said more than 2,500 liters are urgently needed every month to keep the surviving units from collapsing, blaming Israeli restrictions on the entry of operating and maintenance supplies. It cautioned that the ongoing shortage threatens to shut down life-saving medical departments.
The situation was already dire in September, when the ministry reported that 70% of hospital generators had gone out of service due to shortages of fuel, oil and spare parts, which it attributed to the Israeli blockade.
Generators have been the lifeline for operating rooms, intensive care units, neonatal incubators, ventilators and dialysis machines in Gaza hospitals since Israel cut electricity supplies to the enclave in October 2023.
Gaza’s only power plant shut down on Oct. 11, 2023, after running out of fuel, plunging the territory into a total blackout. Power lines, cables and distribution networks were also widely destroyed during the war, and that damage has kept hospitals from reconnecting to the grid, leaving them reliant on generators for extended periods.
The power crisis has persisted even though a ceasefire agreement has been in effect since Oct. 10, 2025, with Israeli restrictions still limiting the supplies needed to rehabilitate Gaza’s health system.
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