Gaza's Hospitals Struggle To Cope With Heavy Rainfall And Power Cuts

Yesterday, Monday 13 November, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced that its troops had "risked their lives" to successfully deliver 300 litres of fuel to Gaza.

The IDF claimed that the fuel was delivered to a safe location in a region near the Al-Shifa Hospital and said that it was to be put to urgent medical purposes immediately.

However, soon after, the military reported that Hamas had prohibited the surgeons and doctors at the hospital from acquiring the fuel donation.

Recent weather conditions in Gaza have also added to the humanitarian catastrophe that is currently occurring.

With a huge displacement crisis caused by the bombing, thousands of Palestinian civilians have been forced to shelter in makeshift shelters and tents.

Those who are already struggling to get food, water and a decent shelter, are now struggling to find appropriate clothes for the extremely wet conditions.

Thousands of people have since taken to the hospitals to seek proper shelter and warmth.

The Al-Shifa Hospital is known as the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip and is located in the north of Gaza City.

According to journalists who are reporting in the surrounding areas of the hospital, in the last 48 hours, no people or any amount of aid has been allowed in or out of the Al-Shifa hospital.

Doctors on the ground have also reported that premature babies who were being treated in the Al-Shifa Hospital have also been removed from incubators, due to the lack of fuel, putting the equipment out of use.

Israel has also accused Hamas of operating in a large tunnel network that runs under the Gaza Strip, together with accusations toward Hamas for using the underground of the Al-Shifa Hospital as its command centre.

The Head of Al-Shifa Hospital and Hamas have denied the allegations.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the IDF shared video footage of troops delivering fuel to the hospital in northern Gaza.

The social media account captioned the post: "Our troops risked their lives to hand-deliver 300 litres of fuel to the Shifa hospital for urgent medical purposes."

The caption went on to question: "Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry has been warning for weeks that its hospitals are running out of fuel. If so, why would they prevent the hospital from receiving it?"

Soon after the video footage was posted, the IDF followed the fuel announcement by sharing a phone call recording.

The IDF said that the audio footage is of a conversation between an IDF officer and a senior official in the Health Ministry in Gaza.

In the recording, the senior official states that the CEO of the Hamas-run Health Ministry, Yosef Abu Rish, forbade them from receiving the fuel.

The Director of Al-Shifa Hospital also said today, that the lack of fuel and dramatic rainfall has resulted in power cuts and much hospital equipment being out of use.

The hospital's Director also told reporters that while the death toll in Gaza exceeds 11,100, around 179 people have been buried in a mass grave near Al-Shifa Hospital.

Today, the charity Doctors Without Borders, told reporters that bullets had been heard in the surrounding areas of the hospital, where families are thought to be sheltering.

The charity also noted that it has been negotiating with Hamas and the IDF for four days, calling for an additional safe passage for people in the north of Gaza.

More than 100 people, including 65 children, are sheltering near the hospital and have run out of water and food – said Doctors Without Borders.

Earlier this month, on 4 November, the IDF announced that an additional humanitarian route would be opened to civilians who have been ordered to relocate to the south of Gaza.

The IDF shared a video, which has since been verified, that depicted hundreds of people on the road, waving white flags and making their way to the southern region.