Al-Aqsa Hospital faces critical oxygen and power shortages in Gaza

The medical situation at Al-Aqsa Hospital in the central Gaza Strip is reaching a breaking point due to critical shortages of electricity and oxygen. Defective oxygen systems and a lack of spare parts are threatening the survival of patients, particularly in the neonatal unit where premature infants rely on ventilators.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health reports that 22 of the 34 oxygen stations across the Gaza Strip have failed, leaving only 12 operational under extreme technical conditions. The hospital has been operating on emergency generators and solar power since its main generators failed in May 2026, leading to severe equipment strain.

Additional complications include the destruction of two of the clinic's four medication warehouses during airstrikes in early August. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has noted that essential spare parts and new generators remain blocked at the Gaza Strip entrance. Munir al-Bursh, Director General of the Gaza Health Ministry, warned that the lack of medical supplies is effectively being used as a tool of war.