The electricity generator supplying Al-Amal Hospital in the Gaza Strip has stopped functioning, according to a report by RIA News referencing the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS). The interruption in power has immediate, far-reaching consequences for the hospital’s ability to care for patients and to support the surrounding medical response network that relies on it as a critical hub.
PRCS explained that the loss of power was felt across hospital operations and at the organization’s headquarters, with dire implications for patient safety and care. In all, 90 patients were reported as being placed at risk by the outage, including 25 individuals in the medical rehabilitation unit whose recovery and daily routines rely heavily on reliable electricity. Additionally, roughly 9,000 displaced people were sheltering within the hospital complex, underscoring how essential functional power is to safeguarding vulnerable populations during ongoing displacement and medical crises.
At present, the hospital operates a very small generator that can power only the delivery room and basic emergency lighting. Medical staff warned that the remaining fuel could be exhausted within about 24 hours, potentially leaving critical services without backup power unless fuel resupply arrangements are made or the main generator is restored. The limited energy available constrains essential activities such as monitoring, sterilization, and the operation of essential medical devices, placing patients and staff under considerable strain in a tense and rapidly changing situation.
The broader regional situation has escalated amid ongoing hostilities in the Middle East. On October 7, thousands of Hamas militants crossed into Israel from the Gaza Strip, triggering the declaration of a state of war by the Israeli government after Hamas announced the operation named Al-Aqsa Flood. In response, the Israeli leadership vowed to suppress the attack, work to release hundreds of hostages, and degrade the capabilities of Hamas. As part of this broader military response, major rocket strikes targeted the Gaza Strip from the outset of the operation, while the Israeli National Security Council also approved measures to curtail basic goods and services including water, food, electricity, and fuel to the region. Humanitarian aid shipments began moving through the Rafah crossing only after October 20, and even then, aid loads were reported as insufficient for the needs on the ground.
On October 27, Israel announced an expansion of its ground operation in Gaza. While the exact start date of the operation remains unclear, it is known that with the intensification of fighting hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had already fled their homes, seeking shelter in southern areas of the territory. Later, as part of the ground offensive, the Israeli forces surrounded Gaza City and cut off supplies in the central portions of the enclave, while pockets of resistance continued elsewhere in central Gaza. This ongoing disruption has complicated humanitarian access and the ability of medical facilities to maintain operations under pressure.
Former Israeli President Isaac Herzog stated that the Hamas command center is located beneath a central hospital in the Gaza Strip, a claim that has been echoed by various observers amid the ongoing conflict. The assertion underscores the complex and highly dangerous environment in which medical facilities, civilians, and military operations intersect, amplifying concerns about the safety of patients and health workers in facilities that may be targeted or caught in the crossfire.