The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza issued a dire warning on Monday about an impending health disaster due to a critical shortage of oxygen supplies in the region's hospitals.

According to a ministry press statement, the crisis stems from the destruction and arson of central oxygen stations at key medical facilities including the Shifa Medical Complex, Al-Nasr Complex, Al-Rantisi Hospital, Al-Durra, the Indonesian hospital, and the Sheikh Radwan Clinic. The ministry detailed that 10 such stations have been destroyed, which were essential for supplying oxygen to critical departments like operating rooms, intensive care units, emergency departments, and neonatal incubators, as well as to patients in home care.

The shortage is not limited to public hospitals; several non-governmental hospitals, which have been pivotal in supporting the health sector in Gaza, are also struggling to meet their oxygen needs.

The ministry highlighted that the blockade on oxygen station imports by the occupation forces is intensifying the crisis, putting patients' lives at immediate risk.

In response to this escalating situation, the Palestinian Ministry of Health has urgently called upon international organizations and relevant parties to intervene swiftly to supply and permit the entry of essential oxygen stations to avert further tragedy in the Gaza Strip. (ILKHA)