Gaza Herald – The administration of the Shuhada Al-Aqsa Hospital has warned of an impending health catastrophe in central Gaza as the facility’s power generation system approaches total collapse, threatening the continued operation of the only government hospital serving the governorate.
Hospital Director-General Raed Hussein said the “countdown” to a complete shutdown has effectively begun following the failure of a fourth electricity generator, pushing the hospital’s already fragile energy system into a critical stage.
According to Hussein, the remaining generators have become severely worn out after more than three years of continuous operation under extraordinary wartime conditions. Despite ongoing maintenance efforts, they are no longer capable of meeting the minimum power requirements needed to operate critical departments, including operating rooms, intensive care units, and neonatal incubators.
Hospital officials reported that the worsening power crisis has already forced the suspension of surgical operations, while dialysis units, intensive care wards, neonatal care departments, and medical laboratories face the risk of shutting down completely at any moment.
The collapse of the generator system has also led to the disruption of more than 50% of the hospital’s healthcare services, significantly limiting the ability of medical teams to respond to emergencies and provide essential treatment for patients and the wounded.
The situation is becoming increasingly dangerous as temperatures rise across Gaza, driving greater demand for electricity to operate life-saving medical equipment as well as cooling and ventilation systems in sensitive hospital departments.
Medical staff say severe shortages of spare parts and technical supplies have further complicated efforts to keep the generators functioning, while emergency engineering interventions are yielding increasingly limited results.
The Shuhada Al-Aqsa Hospital is the only government-run hospital serving central Gaza and provides healthcare services to more than half a million residents and displaced Palestinians. Health officials warn that any interruption to its operations would have devastating humanitarian consequences for the region.
In an urgent appeal, the hospital administration called on international organizations, humanitarian agencies, and relevant authorities to intervene immediately by securing a stable electricity supply, increasing energy support, and facilitating the entry of new generators capable of sustaining essential medical services.
Hospital officials stressed that the crisis is worsening by the hour and warned that any delay in responding could lead to catastrophic consequences, placing hundreds of patients at immediate risk and deepening the already severe humanitarian emergency in central Gaza.
