By International Desk, The CNN :
Newborns and other patients are dying in Gaza’s largest hospital as power fails and resources run out. At least 35 newborn babies could die at any moment, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said.
Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City has been “out of service” since Saturday morning. The situation was created due to power outages amid an energy crisis caused by heavy bombardment and intense fighting outside the complex.
The country’s health minister said in a statement that three children died over the weekend, along with more than 10 patients. Health Ministry Director General Munir al-Borsh spoke about the deaths in a phone interview and confirmed that hundreds of patients were still in hospital.
Dr. Marwan Abusada, a surgeon at the hospital who is also the health ministry’s head of international cooperation, said on Saturday that one child died “because we didn’t have electricity.” He confirmed the death of two more children over the phone on Sunday.
He said another 36 were at risk: “If they stay in this condition, they will all die.”
Challenges continue to mount for Gaza’s hospitals: ambulances come under fire, power goes out and bodies pile up in an overwhelming surge of patients as fighting intensifies.
According to the Palestinian health minister, most hospitals in the enclave are out of service. Al-Quds Hospital in Gaza City joined the list on Sunday, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said, and is no longer in operation.
The Israel Defense Forces announced on Sunday that they would open the way for evacuations from Al-Shifa and two other hospitals in Gaza City: Al-Rantisi and Al-Nasr. In a statement, the IDF said troops “opened and secured a route that enabled the evacuation of the civilian population on foot and by ambulance” from the three facilities.
