The main hospital in Gaza remains under siege, with patients and medical staff trapped inside for days amid fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas militants. Aid groups warn the lack of fuel, food, and water puts critically ill patients and infants at risk of dying.
Israel alleges Hamas headquarters are located beneath the hospital, an accusation Hamas and hospital doctors firmly deny.
The Palestinian health ministry reported Monday that at least 9 patients and 6 children have died at the hospital due to fuel shortages forcing department closures after Israeli troops surrounded the complex.
“We have no generators without fuel to operate them. There is no food, water, electricity, or fuel and we are overwhelmed with casualties,” said Dr. Munir al-Boursh, a physician and deputy health minister, speaking from inside the besieged hospital.
“We cannot manage this huge influx of patients. If people come, there is nothing we can do for them.”
Newborns were removed from inactive incubators after a power outage on Sunday. Israeli tanks and snipers have made movement around the hospital complex impossible since Friday, according to al-Boursh.
“There are 110 bodies outside the hospital, some in non-functioning refrigerators and some lying in the open space in front of the emergency department. This could lead to the spread of disease,” he said.
