Gaza Hospitals Face Crisis as Power Outages Threaten Patient Lives

Doctors in Gaza's hospitals are raising alarms about the critical condition of patients due to severe and frequent power outages across the Strip. The ongoing electricity shortages are hindering the operation of hospital generators, which are also suffering from a lack of essential spare parts. This situation has been exacerbated since Israel's military response to the October 7th attacks began, leading to restrictions on fuel and engine oil imports into Gaza.

These import limitations have persisted even after a ceasefire brokered by the US took effect in October 2025. Dr. Ahmed Al-Nabris, an internal medicine specialist at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, told Reuters that the scarcity of fuel, engine oil, and generator spare parts has forced hospitals into rationing power. This involves implementing planned, rotating blackouts across different hospital buildings.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) recently stated that thousands of Gazans are at high risk of disease and death because restrictions on engine oil and spare parts are damaging hospital generators, ambulances, and water pumps. At Nasser Hospital, one of four generators is non-operational, and two others are under extreme strain. Dr. Al-Nabris explained that normally, generator oil needs changing every 250 operating hours, but the lack of parts has forced technicians to extend this interval to around 1,000 hours, putting patients in grave danger with every power interruption.

Israel has previously accused Hamas of using hospitals as operational bases. Meanwhile, Gaza residents report a twentyfold increase in the cost of domestic electricity, as neighborhood generators, which supply power for only a few hours daily, also struggle with a lack of spare parts. In response to these claims, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) stated that a mechanism, coordinated with the international community, allows for the import of engine oil, generator spare parts, ambulances, and other hospital equipment under supervision. COGAT aims to prevent advanced equipment from reaching Hamas while ensuring it reaches the population.