Since the war in Gaza started on October 7th, over 11,000 Palestinians, 2/3rds of which were women and children, have been killed. And as the fighting outside of Gaza City’s largest hospital, Al-Shifa, intensifies, that number is likely to go up.
Bombs and gunfire can be heard through the walls of the hospital as 650 patients, 500 staff members, and 2,500 displaced Palestinians seek shelter and medical attention. Only now, staying could be a death sentence. 32 patients, including 3 babies, have died since Al-Shifa’s emergency generator ran out of fuel on Saturday, and the lives of 36 others are now on the line. Without power, medical personnel have resorted to taping breathing tubes to infants’ faces and wrapping them in aluminum foil for warmth. Others within the hospital are struggling to attain ample food and water as conditions outside worsen.
So why is the fighting happening so close to a major hospital?
In their relentless pursuit of Hamas militants, Israel was led to Al-Shifa hospital due to claims that Hamas was hiding within tunnels beneath the building, using those inside as human shields. Normally, international laws prohibit attacks on hospitals during war, unless those hospitals are believed to contain combatants. Even then, there must be a chance for civilians to flee. Staff inside Al-Shifa, as well as Hamas personnel themselves, denied Israel’s claims that any combatants were hiding in or nearby, but this hasn’t stopped Israel’s tenacious firepower. And though some inside the hospital were able to escape, many had no choice but to stay. With all the fighting happening outside, staff at Al-Shifa denied any possibility for patient transfers due to the danger and lack of appropriate equipment. A prime concern for those remaining is fuel.
Though Israel continues to bombard the Al-Shifa area with missiles and gunfire, the Israeli Defense Forces claimed to have left 300 liters of fuel for the hospital nearby. Even if the staff managed to brave the destruction outside, that amount of fuel would only power the hospital for 15 to 30 minutes, according to experts. And so, patients, civilians, and medical professionals in the hospital face a very morbid question…
How long do we have left?
The population of Gaza is 2.3 million people, and 2/3rds of that population have fled their homes since the war began. Many flocked to hospitals for safe haven. Unfortunately, the list of hospitals being shut down due to lack of fuel only seems to be growing. Yesterday, the Red Cross was hoping to evacuate 6,000 patients from a second hospital in Gaza, but they were forced to abandon the plan due to fighting. This other hospital, Al-Quds is now deemed out of service.
For those who manage to escape the fighting in northern Gaza during one of Israel’s agreed-upon daily pauses, they face the familiar threats of overflowing shelters and food scarcity. But it seems nothing is more deadly than a lack of fuel, which follows the fleeing civilians everywhere they go.
Sources:
Medics and patients, including babies, stranded as battles rage around Gaza hospitals
Live updates | Fighting outside Gaza's largest hospital prompts thousands to flee
Doctors at Gaza's biggest hospital say newborns are dying after facility goes 'out of service'
