Israel’s Siege Pushes Gaza to Brink of Total Humanitarian Collapse

Gaza’s Health Ministry warned on Friday that patients in hospitals are now facing imminent death due to severe fuel shortages.

Several hospitals have been forced to shut down operations entirely.

Those that remain are cutting electricity to wards and running out of medical supplies, fuel, and blood as casualties mount from relentless Israeli bombardments.

“Patients in Gaza hospitals are dying due to critical shortages,” the ministry said.

The fuel crisis has crippled civil defense efforts. According to Gaza’s Civil Defense Authority, all rescue vehicles have ceased operation except one fire truck.

Teams are now using private cars to reach people trapped under rubble, further delaying aid in areas devastated by airstrikes.

Water access has also collapsed. Officials from Gaza’s water authority said Israel’s fuel blockade has slashed well water usage by 70%.

No fuel has reached Gaza’s wells since March. Temporary relief was only possible through the limited stock of diesel provided by the UN project office in southern Gaza.

Officials estimate that fuel will run out within a week, pushing Gaza toward a deeper fuel catastrophe.

“Israel is deliberately denying water to central Gaza and restricting supply to Gaza City and Khan Younis,” the authority said.

Dr. Marwan Al-Hams, director of Gaza’s field hospitals, warned of total systemic collapse.

“Water and sanitation sectors are near breakdown,” he said.

“With 95% water shortage, there is no drinking water, no hygiene, and no functioning desalination plants.”

He described scenes of uncollected garbage piling up near refugee camps, warning of imminent disease outbreaks.

 “This war must end immediately. Fuel, medical supplies, and water must be allowed in now—before it’s too late for over 2.2 million people,” Al-Hams added.

As of today, at least 57,762 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, in what rights groups condemn as an ongoing genocide.