Gaza’s healthcare system nears total collapse amid fuel blockade
Shafaq News – Gaza
Gaza’s hospital fuel shortage has entered a “critical and life-threatening stage,” the Health Ministry warned on Tuesday.
“Within days, essential medical departments may shut down, leaving patients and the wounded to face certain death,” the ministry declared, stressing that current power-rationing measures cannot hold without immediate fuel deliveries.
It appealed to all responsible parties to intervene urgently, cautioning of an “unimaginable catastrophe” if fuel remains blocked.
Read more: World Haemophilia Day in Gaza: Patients struggle amid hospital attacks
Gaza has been sealed since March 2, when Israeli forces closed all crossings and halted humanitarian aid. Hundreds of trucks remain stalled at the border, while only limited shipments have entered—far short of the 500 to 600 daily trucks officials say are needed to sustain the population.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) reported that Israeli authorities continue to obstruct its convoys. Despite the siege, UNRWA’s 11,000 staff in Gaza remain the primary providers of basic healthcare, water, and shelter for displaced civilians.
UNRWA’s aid is banned from going into #Gaza by Israeli Authorities.But our 11,000 colleagues continue to deliver critical services.UNRWA remains the largest primary healthcare provider.We supply water and shelter to the forcibly displaced.We need the ban lifted to bring… pic.twitter.com/i3ZICrUG2I
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) September 23, 2025
Read more: A Chorus of outcry: NGOs decry Israel's actions as Gaza faces unprecedented suffering
Between September 11 and 16, UNRWA logged strikes on 12 of its facilities in Gaza City—nine schools and two health centers—while sheltering more than 11,000 displaced people. In the West Bank, Israeli forces tightened restrictions by installing new road gates to isolate several towns.
Our latest on the situation in 📍 #Gaza and the #WestBank:🔹UNRWA confirmed either direct or indirect strikes on 12 UNRWA premises in Gaza City, including nine schools and two health centres sheltering over 11,000 individuals, between 11 and 16 September.🔹The Israeli Forces… pic.twitter.com/cUmRDZOMET
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) September 23, 2025
Meanwhile, the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis confirmed the deaths of three more children from malnutrition, raising the toll from starvation-related causes to 450, including at least 150 children.
Read more: Gaza's spiral: Famine and conflict lead to irreversible collapse
Palestinian media also documented ongoing Israeli airstrikes across the strip, with 22 people killed since dawn, including 18 in Gaza City. Since the war erupted on October 7, 2023, Israel has killed at least 65,344 Palestinians and wounded 166,795 others, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
الاحتلال يواصل قصف الأبراج والبنايات السكنية بالصواريخ في مدينة غزة. pic.twitter.com/YjE3QAUDCc
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) September 23, 2025
