The Gaza Health Ministry confirmed that at least five patients died in a hospital on Saturday due to power outages. Among the victims was a premature baby in an incubator, unable to survive without electricity. The hospital has been forced to operate in darkness after running out of fuel for its generators, according to the Health Ministry and the hospital’s administrator.
“Surgeries have been halted,” said Dr. Mohammed Abu Salmiya, the hospital’s director. “The situation in the neonatal unit is critical. A baby died due to lack of oxygen, electricity, and heat.”
Reports from the Health Ministry, doctors, and witnesses within the hospitals indicate that Israeli tanks and troops have laid siege to and attacked several medical facilities in Gaza. The statement issued by the Israeli military denies these claims but confirms clashes with Hamas in the area.
The Israeli military has accused Hamas of using Al-Shifa hospital as a shield, alleging the presence of an underground command center beneath it. However, hospital administrators and Hamas have refuted these allegations. Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, a spokesperson for the Israeli military, stressed that they do not target hospitals, but they will take action if Hamas uses them as a base for attacks.
Yousef Abu al-Rish, head of the Health Ministry in Gaza, reported that patients at four hospitals in northern Gaza have been evacuated. Doctors had initially resisted leaving as Israeli forces advanced.
“The patients who were left had to flee to the streets and disperse,” said Steve Sosebee of the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. “There was no organized effort to relocate them. Everyone had to fend for themselves.”
Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Peter Lerner confirmed that warnings were given for hospitals in northern Gaza to evacuate, and ultimately, a safe corridor was opened for people to leave.
The dire conditions in Gaza City are, in part, a consequence of an Israeli siege that has resulted in shortages of water, food, electricity, and fuel for weeks. Israel imposed the siege following an attack by Hamas, which resulted in casualties and hostages, according to Israeli authorities.