NEW YORK, (PIC)
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric has warned that the severe fuel shortages in the Gaza Strip, especially in the north, are forcing hospitals to postpone vital surgeries and ambulances to stop.
“The already catastrophic situation in Gaza is worsening amid repeated waves of displacement, combined with overcrowding, insecurity, crumbling infrastructure, active hostilities and limited services,” spokesman Dujarric told journalists at the regular press briefing in New York on Tuesday.
“OCHA (the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) warns that the ongoing hostilities, constant evacuation orders, and severe shortages of essential supplies are making it increasingly difficult for displaced families to access basic services at their place of arrival,” Dujarric said.
He added that since October last year, 86 percent of the Gaza Strip has been placed under evacuation orders.
“As you may know, Gaza’s population is increasingly concentrated in a zone designated by Israeli authorities in al-Mawasi, where Palestinians have been told to go,” he said, noting that according to OCHA, the density of the area has surged to between 30,000 and 34,000 people per square kilometer, compared to an estimated 1,200 people prior to the war.
OCHA had reported in a humanitarian bulletin on Tuesday that “severe shortages of fuel and medical supplies continue to disrupt the functionality of remaining hospitals and primary healthcare centers, particularly in northern Gaza.
It cited an announcement by the director of the Al Awda Hospital in northern Gaza that all surgeries had been postponed, saying that he appealed for urgent fuel supplies to avert further deaths at the facility.
“Conditions are equally critical at the Kamal Adwan Hospital, where fuel and medical supply shortages are reportedly threatening critical functions,” OCHA noted, adding that the UN World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners were working on getting fuel to these facilities.
Furthermore, on Sunday, the Palestine Red Crescent Society warned that its ambulances, emergency medical clinics and relief services could grind to a halt in northern Gaza due to a lack of fuel. Its teams are already operating at minimum capacity and only two out of eight ambulances are operational, it added.
