Gaza hospitals face generator shutdown as operating oil runs out

Gaza’s Health Ministry warned on Thursday that hospital electricity generators across the enclave could stop working within days after stocks of operating oil were completely exhausted, leaving the remaining units at what officials called “the final point of mechanical danger”.

The ministry said engineering teams were working under extreme conditions to monitor the generators and keep electricity flowing to critical departments, including operating rooms and intensive care units. The units have been “running for thousands of continuous hours without sufficient oil or maintenance”, it said.

Officials warned that a mechanical burnout could destroy the generators permanently. “If generator engines burn out because of the lack of oil, they could become permanently unusable even if supplies become available later,” the ministry said, calling for urgent international intervention.

More than 2,500 litres of operating oil are needed each month to prevent the remaining generators collapsing. The ministry said Israeli restrictions had blocked the entry of operating and maintenance supplies, threatening dialysis machines, neonatal incubators and ventilators.

In September, the ministry said 70 per cent of hospital generators had already gone out of service because of shortages of fuel, oil and spare parts caused by the Israeli blockade. Hospitals in Gaza have depended entirely on generators since Israel cut electricity supplies to the enclave in October 2023, and the crisis has continued despite a ceasefire in force since 10 October 2025.

Read next: Gaza coverage

Sources

• Gaza hospitals risk generator shutdown as oil runs out — Yeni Şafak
• Gaza Health Ministry warns hospital generators may shut down — Weekly-Echo via Bernama
• Warnings of electrical generator shutdowns in Gaza hospitals — Al-Quds English