Hospitals across the Gaza Strip are 48 hours away from collapsing due to a critical shortage of fuel, the government media office in Gaza warned late on Monday.
An Israeli siege that has been in place for more than two months has barred international organizations from accessing fuel stores designated for hospitals. The sites, situated in eastern Rafah, have been declared "red zones"—active combat areas—by the Israeli occupation army.
In a statement, the media office described the situation as an "imminent catastrophe" threatening thousands of patients and wounded people throughout the strip. It said Rafah, where fuel is stored, has been under Israeli control and siege for nearly a month.
The statement also condemned "the occupation's systematic crime by blocking fuel access to hospitals," calling it a violation of international humanitarian law and a blatant breach of the Geneva Conventions, with the aim of exacerbating the health disaster.”
A source at the Gaza Health Ministry told Al Manassa that available fuel supplies would last only until Wednesday. Without a fresh delivery, hospitals would be forced to shut down their generators.
The source noted that more than 2 million litres of fuel remain trapped in inaccessible stores.
Relentless Israeli airstrikes have overwhelmed Gaza's already strained medical system. Hospitals received at least 70 bodies between Monday and early Tuesday, with many more believed to be buried beneath the rubble. Medical staff and emergency workers reported continued bombardment of residential areas and sites where civilians had gathered.
Entire families have been killed in these attacks, including children and women, with witnesses and family members recounting harrowing scenes of destruction in neighbourhoods like Karama, Tuffah, and Shujaiya.
Cemeteries in central and western Khan Younis have reached full capacity due to the rising death toll. Bulldozers have begun clearing nearby land to create space for new graves, a local journalist told Al Manassa.
Meanwhile, Israel is seeking to take control of and "severely restrict" the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza through "distribution hubs" operated by private American security contractors, according to unnamed sources cited by WP.
According to Israeli media, Israel's Security Cabinet approved a plan to renew aid deliveries to Gaza yesterday, reforming the distribution system to "minimize the risk of Hamas diverting supplies to its militants."
Israel would permit around 60 trucks carrying basic food and household supplies to enter Gaza daily—roughly one-tenth of the volume permitted during the six-week ceasefire that ended in early March. The Israeli occupation army will then inspect the trucks at the Karm Abu Salem crossing, which connects Israel to southern Gaza.
The United Nations rejected the proposal on Monday, saying it contradicts basic humanitarian principles.
