The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on conditions affecting Gaza’s health sector amid power outages. Hospitals in Gaza, cut off from electricity due to the blockade, faced a critical limit of 48 hours for operating their backup generators based on available fuel stocks.
Officials stated that all hospitals still had enough fuel to run backup generators for about two days. They warned that ending generator use could put thousands of patients at risk and disrupt essential medical care.
Reports indicated that Gaza had endured four consecutive days without electricity, with vital services such as health care and water supply described as being on the verge of collapse.
On October 14, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that Israel had ordered the evacuation of more than 2,000 patients from 22 hospitals in northern Gaza, a measure with serious implications for patient safety and continuity of care.
Following events on October 7, Hamas launched thousands of rockets into Israel and announced the initiation of what it called Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. Simultaneously, militants reportedly entered Israeli territory, seized equipment, and took hostages. In response, Israeli authorities declared that the country had entered a state of war.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has described the situation as an unprecedented act of aggression, underscoring the severity of the security crisis and its broader regional implications.