"Whoever needs a respirator, let them wait for the electricity to return": The disturbing testimonies from Gaza hospitals

Reuters news agency published testimonies from doctors in Gaza hospitals about frequent power outages, the disconnection of the Strip from the power grid, and a severe shortage of spare parts for generators. A doctor from Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis described an austerity plan involving intentional power cuts rotating between buildings, and a lung disease patient recounted a long wait to be connected to a respirator. The IDF stated that a mechanism in international coordination allows for supervised equipment entry to prevent it from reaching Hamas.

Reuters news agency published disturbing testimonies from doctors in hospitals in the Gaza Strip, describing a severe crisis due to frequent power outages and a shortage of spare parts for generators. Dr. Ahmed al-Nabris, an internal medicine specialist at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, said that a shortage of fuel, engine oil, and spare parts forced the hospital to adopt an austerity plan involving intentional power cuts rotating between buildings. According to him, one of the four generators is inactive, and two others are operating under abnormal load. The interval for oil changes has been extended from 250 hours to 1,000 hours due to the shortage. A lung disease patient named Fatima Abu Taima said that patients needing respirators have to wait while power switches between departments. Residents said the cost of household electricity has surged 20-fold in recent months. The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) stated that a mechanism coordinated with the international community allows for supervised equipment entry, aimed at preventing advanced equipment from reaching Hamas.