At least 22 of Gaza’s 34 oxygen stations have been forced out of service, the Palestinian Health Ministry warned on Saturday, saying the remaining facilities also risk shutting down amid the Israeli blockade and a severe shortage of spare parts.
The ministry said in a statement that the 12 stations still operating are working under “extremely complex technical and mechanical conditions,” making it increasingly difficult to meet the oxygen needs of health facilities and medical service providers.
It added that the stations’ operational capacity has been “completely depleted” and that they are running beyond maximum capacity amid increasingly frequent breakdowns.
Only four of the 30 devices used to fill oxygen cylinders remain operational, the ministry said, warning that they “could stop at any moment” because engineering teams cannot carry out emergency maintenance.
“The availability of oxygen is not a medical luxury; it is a lifeline for many vital and life-saving departments,” it stressed.
‘Complete paralysis’
The ministry warned that the remaining stations face “complete paralysis,” threatening oxygen supplies to hospitals and patients receiving treatment at home.
It called for the “immediate and direct opening of channels” to bring in spare parts and technical equipment needed to repair the stations, as well as the urgent delivery of new oxygen stations.