Gaza hospitals suffering from fuel shortage
The Palestinian Health Ministry has warned that hospitals and medical centres in the blockaded Gaza Strip are suffering an acute fuel shortage that risks bringing their operations to a halt.
"Hospitals and medical centres are suffering an acute shortage of fuel needed to operate electric generators [for its operations]," ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qodra told a press conference on Wednesday.
He said the ministry had reduced its ambulance services by half due to a lack of fuel.
"The acute fuel shortage augurs ill for a major humanitarian catastrophe and will bring many medical centres to a halt," he warned.
The Health Ministry cannot purchase the fuel needed to run its electricity generators due to the failure of a new Palestinian unity government to pay operation costs.
The Ramallah-based unity government has yet to assume control of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, hospital cleaning workers have gone on strike for not being paid.
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