Israel-Hamas War: Hospitals In South Gaza Only Have 3 Days Of Fuel Left, Says WHO

According to WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the fuel that the UN health agency had expected to be allowed in on Wednesday had been blocked.

Israel-Gaza War: The World Health Organisation said on Wednesday that hospitals in the southern Gaza Strip have only three days of fuel left due to closed border crossings. This comes a day after Israel sent tanks into the southern city of Rafah and seized the nearby crossing into Egypt, which has been a crucial entry point for aid and the only exit for people able to flee since the war began in October last year.

According to WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the fuel that the UN health agency had expected to be allowed in on Wednesday had been blocked. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus took to X and said, "The closure of the (Rafah) border crossing continues to prevent the UN from bringing fuel. Without fuel all humanitarian operations will stop. Border closures are also impeding delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza". "Hospitals in the south of Gaza only have three days of fuel left, which means services may soon come to a halt," he further stated.

Speaking at a press conference, WHO representative in the Palestinian territories Rik Peeperkorn said that fuel was critical to aid operations. It is mainly used to power the generators that provide hospitals with the electricity they need to operate, but it is also used so humanitarians can move around, and to keep bakeries running. "What we all need, we humanitarians, is fuel, fuel, fuel," Peeperkorn said, as quoted by AFP.

"Without fuel, all humanitarian operations, including hospital operations -- they come to a halt," he added. The WHO chief also said that Al-Najjar, one of the hospitals in Rafah, is no longer functioning due to a military operation in the city.  “One of the three hospitals in Rafah, Al-Najjar, is no longer functioning due to the ongoing hostilities in its vicinity and the military operation in Rafah,” he said.

On Wednesday, Israel bombarded Rafah as talks resumed in Cairo aimed at agreeing the terms of a truce in the war. According to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, no fuel or aid entered the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, as reported by AFP.