Palestinian International Organization for Peace and Human Rights
July 13, 2025
Power outages put pressure on medical services
Warnings published on July 13, 2025, raised concerns about the potential shutdown of more health services in Gaza due to fuel shortages needed to operate generators. The crisis coincided with the age of some generators, the inability to import sufficient spare parts, and the limited availability of alternatives.
Essential services that depend on electricity
Artificial respirators, intensive care units, storage of certain medications and blood, and sterilization processes all require a continuous power supply. When fuel supplies dwindle, hospital administrations may be forced to ration departmental operations or prioritize the most critical cases.
The patient is the one who suffers the most
The crisis poses direct risks to patients who cannot leave the hospital or postpone their treatment. Healthcare workers are also affected, forced to provide care amidst power outages, high temperatures, and equipment malfunctions.
Urgent humanitarian response
Maintaining medical services requires a regular supply of fuel, spare parts, and equipment for power system maintenance, along with transparent arrangements for identifying and distributing needs. Protecting medical facilities and facilitating their access to operational supplies remains a fundamental responsibility in the context of conflict.
The featured image is for illustrative purposes only and does not document the event itself. The photograph, taken in Gaza in February 2025, is archival and does not depict a specific power station. Photo credit: Jaber Jihad Badwan, License CC BY-SA 4.0 — Image page.
