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‘Slow suffocation’: Oxygen crisis threatens patients at Gaza hospitals

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This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

People carry equipment and oxygen cylinders at the oxygen production and filling center of Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, Gaza, Palestine on May 6, 2026. Abed Rahim Khatib – Anadolu Agency]

Inside the corridors of Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis, doctors and nurses anxiously monitor oxygen levels and ventilators as a worsening crisis threatens to cut oxygen supplies to one of Gaza’s largest functioning hospitals, Anadolu reports.

In the neonatal unit, premature babies lie in glass incubators connected to oxygen tubes that help them breathe, while their mothers watch the machines in fear that supplies could be cut off.

In intensive care units, patients depend on ventilators to stay alive as alarms repeatedly sound because of low oxygen pressure. Medical teams are trying to prevent any possible interruption.

Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza has two oxygen-generating stations.

“The main station recently went out of service because of technical failures and a lack of operating oils, while the backup station is working at limited capacity and could stop at any time,” Ismail Abu Nimr, director of engineering and maintenance at the complex, told Anadolu.

Dozens of empty oxygen cylinders line up in the hospital courtyard, waiting to be refilled, reflecting the scale of the crisis as fears grow that the hospital could become unable to meet the needs of its critical departments.

Gaza’s Health Ministry has repeatedly warned of the dangers of Israel preventing the entry of medicines, medical supplies, equipment and related materials, saying the restrictions have catastrophic consequences for health services and patients’ lives.

Official Palestinian reports have also warned of the risks of Israel blocking the entry of spare parts needed to maintain equipment, machinery and vehicles that provide vital services to Gaza residents.

READ: Gaza: Mothers face triple threat of famine, displacement and loss of children

Death sentence

Ahmad al-Farra, director of the Children and Maternity Department at Nasser Medical Complex, said the hospital is experiencing “slow suffocation,” warning that the continued oxygen crisis threatens the lives of hundreds of patients, especially premature babies and intensive care patients.

“Oxygen is the lifeline inside hospitals, especially for babies in incubators, intensive care patients and operating rooms. These patients depend on it completely,” Farra told Anadolu.

He warned that the shutdown of oxygen stations would mean “a real catastrophe and a death sentence for hundreds of patients,” urging the international community to intervene before the service collapses completely.

Abu Nimr said the hospital depends on oxygen stations to supply patients inside its departments and to provide medical cylinders for field hospitals and other health facilities.

He said the main oxygen production station went out of service because parts wore out and the operating oils ran out, without specifying when it stopped operating.

“The second station inside the complex is still running, but at limited capacity and faces the risk of stopping at any time,” Abu Nimr warned.

He said Nasser Medical Complex, like other hospitals in Gaza, has struggled for years to bring in the spare parts and oils needed to maintain the stations, forcing technical teams to use local substitutes “that do not meet specifications.”

Those substitutes caused additional malfunctions and damaged pumps, he said, adding that technical teams are working with limited resources to keep the service running.

Looming catastrophe

The crisis at Nasser Medical Complex reflects the near-total collapse of Gaza’s health sector, especially oxygen production.

Last month, the Health Ministry warned that the only functioning oxygen station in Gaza City and northern Gaza could stop working.

The ministry said at the time that the station was the main source of medical oxygen for patients, especially those with chronic illnesses, and civil society organizations working in health care.

The station has suffered “repeated malfunctions because of heavy pressure and long operating hours, amid a lack of sufficient alternatives,” the ministry said, warning that a cutoff in medical oxygen would put patients’ lives at serious risk.

The ministry warned of a looming humanitarian catastrophe as the risk of the station shutting down grows alongside rising demand for oxygen at hospitals and health centers.

It urged international organizations and relevant bodies to quickly intervene to bring in new oxygen-generating stations and ensure a sustainable supply of medical oxygen to health facilities to protect patients’ lives and maintain health services.

25 stations destroyed

Israel destroyed about 25 of Gaza’s 34 oxygen production stations during two years of a brutal war, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The ministry said in separate statements that the stations were destroyed during Israeli army incursions into hospitals as part of its ground operations in Gaza.

The ministry said in May 2025 that only about nine stations remained operational in the enclave, adding that they were working only partially and did not meet patients’ needs.

Israel deliberately targeted Gaza’s health sector during the war, including hospitals, medical facilities and health centers, as well as medical teams and ambulances.

The oxygen crisis is worsening as Israel fails to meet its obligations under the ceasefire agreement in effect since Oct. 10, 2025, including opening crossings and allowing in agreed quantities of medical aid and health-related supplies.

Israel has also violated the agreement through shelling and gunfire, killing 854 Palestinians and wounding 2,453 others, according to Health Ministry figures.

The agreement was reached after Israel’s two-year war that has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, wounded more than 172,000 and caused massive destruction that affected 90% of civilian infrastructure.

READ: Israeli blockade threatens shutdown of only oxygen plant in northern Gaza

This work by Middle East Monitor is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 

Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel's genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism "without qualification". Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer explains that UK is actively supporting Israel’s genocidal expansion and repeats his previous quotation that he supports Zionism “without qualification”. Keir Starmer said “I said it loud and clear – and meant it – that I support Zionism without qualification.” here: https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/keir-starmer-interview-i-will-work-to-eradicate-antisemitism-from-day-one/
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer confirms that he doesn't know anything about democracy.
Keir Starmer confirms that he doesn’t know anything about democracy.

Continue Reading‘Slow suffocation’: Oxygen crisis threatens patients at Gaza hospitals

‘A Critical Situation’: Gaza Doctor Warns of Catastrophe as Israel Assails Hospital

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Original article by Jake Johnson republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

A victim of an Israeli attack receives treatment inside Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza on December 6, 2024. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)

“We have called on the world to protect both the healthcare system and its workers, yet we have not received any response from anyone globally,” said the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital.

The director of one of the few partially functioning hospitals in northern Gaza said Sunday that Israeli attacks have put the facility’s remaining patients—including more than a dozen children—in grave danger and pleaded with the international community to intervene.

“Following the recent attack on Kamal Adwan Hospital, which involved over 100 shells and bombs indiscriminately targeting the facility, the damage has been severe,” Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the hospital’s director, said in a statement. “As of now, one of the hospital buildings remains without electricity, oxygen, or water. The shelling continues to occur randomly in the vicinity, preventing us from conducting repairs on the oxygen, electricity, and water networks.”

Abu Safiya said the overwhelmed and under-resourced hospital is currently treating 112 wounded patients, including six people in intensive care and 14 children.

“This is a critical situation,” he said Sunday morning. “The bombardment and gunfire have not ceased; planes are dropping bombs around the clock. We are uncertain of what lies ahead and what the army wants from the hospital.”

“We have called on the world to protect both the healthcare system and its workers, yet we have not received any response from anyone globally,” Abu Safiya added. “This represents a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding against the healthcare workers and patients. Unfortunately, there seems to be no effort to halt this relentless assault on Kamal Adwan Hospital and the broader health system.”

The hospital director’s statement came after Israeli attacks near the facility killed scores of people on Friday. Photos taken from the scene showed bodies on the ground amid building ruins.

(Photo: AFP via Getty Images)

A day earlier, an Israeli airstrike on the Kamal Adwan Hospital compound killed a 16-year-old boy in a wheelchair and wounded a dozen others, The Associated Press reported.

According to Drop Site, the boy “was struck as he entered the X-ray department.”

https://twitter.com/MiddleEastEye/status/1865299454271889830?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1865299454271889830%7Ctwgr%5E08ef4081f5d259b4ddb713ce7acb5b6ac05e2b0b%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnews%2Fkamal-adwan-hospital

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Northern Gaza has been under intense Israeli assault for two months, and the humanitarian situation there and across the Palestinian enclave is worse than ever, according to U.N. agencies and aid organizations.

“The catastrophe in Gaza is nothing short of a complete breakdown of our common humanity,” said U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. “The nightmare must stop. We cannot continue to look away.”

Abu Safiya said Sunday that his hospital is facing outages of electricity and water amid Israel’s incessant attacks.

“We urgently appeal to the international community for assistance,” he said. “The situation is extremely dangerous.”

Original article by Jake Johnson republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0).

Continue Reading‘A Critical Situation’: Gaza Doctor Warns of Catastrophe as Israel Assails Hospital

Israel Has Killed Over 1,000 Doctors and Nurses in Gaza

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Original article by Jessica Corbett republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Hussam Abu Safiyeh, director of the Kamal Adwan Hospital, is treated by colleagues for his injuries following an Israeli strike that hit the medical compound in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip on November 23, 2024. (Photo: AFP via Getty Images)

“These people, they target everyone, but I swear, this will not stop us from continuing our humanitarian work,” said a Gaza hospital director injured in an Israeli strike.

More than 1,000 doctors and nurses are among at least 44,211 people killed in Israel’s 13-month assault on the Gaza Strip, officials in the Hamas-governed Palestinian enclave said Sunday.

“Over 310 other medical personnel were arrested, tortured, and executed in prisons,” Gaza’s Government Media Office also said in a statement, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency. “The Israeli army also prevented the entry of medical supplies, health delegations, and hundreds of surgeons into Gaza.”

“Hospitals have been a declared target for the Israeli army, which bombed, besieged, and stormed them, killing doctors and nurses, injuring others after directly targeting them,” the office said. The statement came after the director of the main partially functioning hospital in northern Gaza was injured in an Israeli strike.

https://twitter.com/evanhill/status/1860734112010567768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1860734112010567768%7Ctwgr%5E096925c55d8a13c3c6e33290bdf05c75ba7aad34%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.commondreams.org%2Fnews%2Fisrael-has-killed-over-1000-doctors-and-nurses-in-gaza

Hussam Abu Safiyeh is the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital—which, according to Al Jazeera, Israeli forces have repeatedly attacked, damaging “the facility’s generators, fuel tanks, and main oxygen station.”

The wounded director said: “These people, they target everyone, but I swear, this will not stop us from continuing our humanitarian work. We will keep on providing this service no matter what it costs us.”

Since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, in addition to killing tens of thousands of Palestinians, Israeli forces have injured at least 104,567 others. Along with attacking hospitals, they have destroyed many homes, schools, and religious sites, and displaced most of the enclave’s 2.3 million people.

Israel—which has been armed by the Biden administration and bipartisan U.S. Congress—faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its conduct in Gaza. Additionally, the International Criminal Court earlier this week issued arrest warrants for Israel’s current prime minister and former defense minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, as well as Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri.

Last month, 99 U.S. healthcare providers who have volunteered in Gaza since last fall sent U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris a letter detailing “the massive human toll from Israel’s attack” and urging them to “end this madness now!”

“It is likely that the death toll from this conflict is already greater than 118,908, an astonishing 5.4% of Gaza’s population,” the Americans wrote. “With only marginal exceptions, everyone in Gaza is sick, injured, or both. This includes every national aid worker, every international volunteer, and probably every Israeli hostage: every man, woman, and child.”

“We quickly learned that our Palestinian healthcare colleagues were among the most traumatized people in Gaza, and perhaps in the entire world,” they continued. “All were acutely aware that their work as healthcare providers had marked them as targets for Israel. This makes a mockery of the protected status hospitals and healthcare providers are granted under the oldest and most widely accepted provisions of international humanitarian law.”

They added that “we wish to be absolutely clear: Not once did any of us see any type of Palestinian militant activity in any of Gaza’s hospitals or other healthcare facilities. We urge you to see that Israel has systematically and deliberately devastated Gaza’s entire healthcare system, and that Israel has targeted our colleagues in Gaza for torture, disappearance, and murder.”

Despite such appeals and accounts, the outgoing Biden-Harris administration has declined to cut off weapons to the Israeli government and earlier this week most U.S. senators from both major parties rejected a trio of resolutions from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) that would have blocked some American arms sales to Israel.

Original article by Jessica Corbett republished from Common Dreams under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). 

Continue ReadingIsrael Has Killed Over 1,000 Doctors and Nurses in Gaza

‘Intolerable’ NHS crisis to continue until April, health leaders warn

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https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jan/02/intolerable-nhs-crisis-to-continue-until-april-health-leaders-warn

Ministers urged to recall parliament amid warnings patients are dying needlessly due through inaction

Image reads Accident & Emergency, A & E

The crisis engulfing the NHS will continue until Easter, health leaders have warned, as senior doctors accused ministers of letting patients die needlessly through inaction.

More than a dozen trusts and ambulance services have declared critical incidents in recent days, with soaring demand, rising flu and Covid cases and an overstretched workforce piling pressure on the health service.

But amid warnings that up to 500 people a week may be dying due to delays in emergency care alone, and of oxygen for seriously ill patients running out in parts of England, NHS leaders warned more chaos was expected until April.

“It seems likely that the next three months will be defined by further critical incidents needing to be declared and the quality of care being compromised,” said Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, which represents the whole healthcare system in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

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Continue Reading‘Intolerable’ NHS crisis to continue until April, health leaders warn