Fuel and medicines dwindle as Gaza's only cancer hospital bears the brunt of Israeli blockade: Report

The world is still in shock after the killing of hundreds of people followinga blast at the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza. Meanwhile, another hospital in theGaza Strip is suffering a slow, quieter but equally urgent crisis.

Gaza's only oncology hospital is suffering under the Israeli-imposed "total blockade," and is running out of fuel, water and medicines.

A 'total blockade'

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Two days into the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, Israel imposed a total blockade on the Gaza Strip. This effectively barred essential supplies — including fuel and medicines, from entering the region.

"We are trying to keep the essential services," Dr SubhiSukeyk, the director of the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital, told Al Jazeera, adding that services like radiology had already ground to a halt.

As per Sukeyk, the facility was running perilously low on the fuel needed to keep the hospital's essential services running. She also said that the hospital was running low on medicines needed for chemotherapy treatment.

Gaza's electricity, which is partially reliant on Israeli power lines, had been severed. Furthermore, the local power plant, which is dependent on Israeli fuel imports, was shut down over a week ago due to the siege following the October 7 attack by Hamas, which has already claimed over 1,400 lives.

On the Gazan side, the relentless Israeli airstrikes have further claimed over 3,300 lives — a third of this, as per Al Jazeera, are children.

Why is the cancer hospital important?

With the potential closure of the sole cancer hospital, a different kind of devastation is gripping Gaza.

The enclave, as per the Al Jazeera report citing Gaza health ministry data, houses over 9,000 cancer patients.

Operational solely on a local generator, the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Hospital now teeters on the brink of closure. The high number of patients makes the continuity of the hospital's operations a matter of life and death.

"The intensive care unit needs a lot of electricity to operate, and so do the oxygen machines," stressed Sukeyk, highlighting the critical need to keep the facility operational.

A shutdown would jeopardize the lives of countless patients reliant on the hospital for timely and indispensable cancer treatments.

"Some patients' chemotherapy had to be delayed. But they are due, they must have this treatment to prevent the tumour from spreading to their bodies, and organs," added Sukeyk.

(With inputs from agencies)

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