Infant Death Alert as Gaza Hospitals Run Out of Fuel

Nasser hospital, Al-Aqsa hospital and European Gaza hospital, in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, are on the verge of closure due to a lack of fuel. This situation is threatening the lives of hundreds of patients, including newborns, who depend on electricity to stay alive, warns Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Meanwhile, MSF teams are transferring fuel to Nasser and Al-Aqsa hospitals, serving only as a temporary solution for the next 36 to 48 hours.

As of 8 January, electricity for the MSF-supported Nasser hospital might be cut off in some departments leaving people without lifesaving care. In the neonatal intensive care unit, we are currently treating three children and four newborns with mechanical ventilation, as well as 15 newborns in incubators, all dependent on electricity provided by fuel generators.

MSF is alarmed by this catastrophic situation, which could have tragic and serious consequences as the situation is unlikely to improve. We call on all parties to facilitate the entry of fuel into Gaza and to ensure its safe delivery to medical facilities. The dismantling of the health system by the Israeli blockade, which is endangering the lives of people, must stop immediately.

The babies in incubators rely on constant electricity for the ventilators that are keeping them alive… Putting the lives of children at risk like this is unacceptable and is a consequence of Israel’s ongoing blockade.Pascale Coissard, MSF emergency coordinator

“Without fuel, these newborns are at risk of losing their lives,” says Pascale Coissard, MSF emergency coordinator. “The babies in incubators rely on constant electricity for the ventilators that are keeping them alive.”

“They are already in an extremely vulnerable state, and any transfer to other hospitals would directly endanger their lives,” continues Coissard. “Putting the lives of children at risk like this is unacceptable and is a consequence of Israel’s ongoing blockade and continuous criminal looting of lifesaving supplies.”

Nasser hospital has a capacity of 500 beds, where MSF teams are providing emergency, maternity, paediatric, burn and trauma care. Oxygen provision is one of the hospital’s main fuel requirements. Our teams are treating over 100 cases of pneumonia on average each month, some who need oxygen support. At the same time, we are performing more than 100 caesarean sections each month, all of which require a constant supply of electricity.

“It’s an impossible situation, because even if we prioritise the little fuel that is left to the most urgent departments, we know that they won’t last more than 36 to 48 hours”, says Julie Faucon, MSF medical team leader in Gaza. “While some patients are hanging on by a thread, the lack of sustained electricity is impacting the level of care we can provide to those with burns and trauma.”

In December 2024, an average of only 59 trucks per day holding vital supplies were able to enter Gaza, compared to 500 trucks entering per day prior to 7 October 2023, according to the United Nations. MSF and other organisations have been warning for over a year that the woefully inadequate supply of aid is threatening the lives of people in Gaza. We have now reached a tipping point where one of the last specialized hospitals in the south of Gaza risks of being out of order because of lack of fuel.

Reliefweb

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British MPs Call For Expelling Israeli Ambassador

A British lawmaker has called for economic and military isolation of Israel to bring it to “some form of negotiated settlement,” and suggested the Israeli ambassador to the UK should face expulsion.

Independent MP John McDonnell recalled the crippling situation in the Gaza Strip that has been exacerbated during harsh winter conditions.

“We’ve witnessed over the Christmas period when we’re celebrating with our families, the scenes of children starving and freezing to death as a result of Israeli actions,” he said.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Tuesday, McDonnell said that the only solution that they have had in the past is a “total isolation of a country,” economically and militarily, to prevent them performing war crimes in the way Israel has according to Anadolu.

“I think this Government could take a leading role in that isolation of Israel to bring it some form of negotiated settlement,” he noted.

Also touching on Israeli Ambassador to UK Tzipi Hotovely’s controversial remarks and stance, including advocating “Greater Israel.”

“We have an Israeli ambassador who’s an advocate of Greater Israel, refuses to recognize the Palestinian state, defies all the UN resolutions that have been passed about how we can secure that peace, and she still remains in this country. Why aren’t we expelling the Israeli ambassador,” he asked.

Hotovely has sparked anger on multiple occasions since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, with controversial remarks such as claiming there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza and saying Israel is not bombing civilians in Gaza.


‘There is disagreement between British, Israeli governments’

In response, Hamish Falconer, minister for the Middle East, said: “It is tempting to think that, if only we had representatives more to our tastes politically, then things would be easier.”

He added: “There is a disagreement between the British and Israeli governments about the conduct of the war in Gaza and the humanitarian implications that flow from it.”

Falconer went on to say that they will continue to make that disagreement clear through all channels, both through the Israeli ambassador and directly to the Israeli government, and will continue to talk to the Israeli government about these issues.

On Wednesday, Labour Party MP for Coventry South, Zarah Sultana, expressed support to McDonnell for expelling the Israeli ambassador.

“I agree with @johnmcdonnellMP: Expel the Israeli Ambassador NOW,” she wrote on X.

The Israeli army has continued a genocidal war on the enclave that has killed nearly 46,000 people, mostly women and children, since Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

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