Hospital in northern Gaza runs out of supplies amid Israeli blockade: Official

GAZA CITY, Palestine

The Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza has completely run out of medical supplies and food due to the ongoing Israeli siege, with fuel supplies also nearing depletion, the hospital’s director said on Tuesday.

“We are living under a complete siege, as the Israeli occupation has tightened its grip on the hospital since Monday. Medical staff are unable to move or receive any external support,” Mohamed Saleha told Anadolu.

He said all stocks of medicines and food have been exhausted.

Additionally, Saleha added, the fuel needed to operate vital departments is nearly gone, which could lead to a genuine catastrophe in the coming days if supplies are not urgently delivered.

He explained that the hospital’s surroundings are under constant Israeli attack, making it impossible for injured individuals to reach the hospital or for anyone to leave.

He emphasized that the hospital is “filled with patients needing urgent medical attention, along with women who have recently given birth and require postnatal care.”

Saleha described the situation in northern Gaza as “extremely catastrophic,” amid ongoing attacks, shelling, and gunfire around the hospital from the Israeli army.

He called on international organizations “to pressure the Israeli occupation (forces) to halt these atrocities and crimes of genocide and to allow the entry of medicines, medical supplies, and food into the hospital.”

On Oct. 6, the Israeli army started an incursion into northern Gaza, claiming it was to “prevent Hamas from regaining strength in the area,” while Palestinians assert that Israel aims to occupy the region and displace its inhabitants.

The Israeli army has continued a devastating offensive on the Gaza Strip since a Hamas attack last year, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

More than 42,700 people have since been killed, mostly women and children, and nearly 100,300 others injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught on Gaza has displaced almost the territory’s entire population amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio