Gaza hospital goes dark as fuel shortage puts patients at growing risk.

SHOTLIST: GAZA CITY, PALESTINE (AUG. 3, 2026) 1. VARIOUS OF BABIES RECEIVING TREATMENT IN INCUBATORS / DOCTOR CHECKING BABIES' MEDICAL CONDITIONS 2. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DOCTOR SAMER LUBBAD, HEAD OF NEONATAL AND INTENSIVE CARE UNIT AT PATIENT'S FRIENDS ASSOCIATION HOSPITAL IN GAZA CITY, SAYING: "I am Dr. Samer Lubbad, Head of the Neonatal Unit and Intensive Care Department. Over the past month or so, the Friends of the Patient Hospital has been suffering from a severe shortage of the fuel needed to operate its electricity generators. As a result, the hospital has had to implement an emergency plan by shutting down the generators for several hours each day. Naturally, this has had a negative impact on work inside the intensive care and neonatal units, especially since the care currently being provided is extremely delicate. At times, particularly during the night, we are forced to work under very difficult conditions, including in complete darkness. This also causes temperatures to rise because the air conditioners stop working in this enclosed area. In addition, the repeated power outages damage electrically powered medical equipment, particularly the incubators, which require a high electrical load to operate. As we know, the intensive care and neonatal departments contain equipment that supplies hospitalized patients with oxygen. Power interruptions therefore disrupt the oxygen supply to these children. If the fuel runs out completely, we will ultimately be forced to shut off the electricity permanently. This would create an extremely critical and life-threatening situation for the patients admitted to the neonatal and intensive care units. Therefore, we appeal to all international organizations to allow fuel into Gaza and to supply Friends of the Patient Hospital with the fuel needed to operate its generators. If the generators stop running, it will lead to severe and catastrophic consequences, including the failure of electrical equipment such as the incubators used for premature newborns and infants in the neonatal unit. It will also cause ventilators that provide oxygen to critically ill patients to stop functioning, which could lead to their deaths if, Allah forbid, this happens. This would effectively deprive approximately ten children in the intensive care and neonatal units of critical care services, amounting to a death sentence for those children under such circumstances." 3. VARIOUS OF BABIES RECEIVING TREATMENT IN INCUBATORS 4. ENTRANCE TO PEDIATRIC DEPARTMENT 5. VARIOUS OF CHILDREN LYING IN BEDS AT PEDIATRIC DEPARTMENT 6. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PEDIATRICIAN DOCTOR SAEED SALAH SAYING: "We are facing a severe, suffocating crisis. We are living in an extremely difficult and dangerous situation, particularly regarding the fuel needed to operate the generators. Today, for example, the generators in the intensive care department were running for only a short period. For the rest of the time, there was no electricity, forcing us to work in complete darkness and intense heat, especially during the peak of summer in July and August. Temperatures are extremely high, and the children in our care are in very critical condition. In addition, many of the patients suffer from respiratory distress and shortness of breath. Nearly all of them are under one year of age. This creates enormous challenges for us. Frequent power outages further worsen the situation. The main reason is the lack of fuel needed to operate the generators. This will have a devastating impact on the children and could ultimately lead to their deaths. Therefore, we appeal to the international community to help ensure that sufficient fuel is allowed in so the generators can continue operating. This is especially urgent as we are currently experiencing some of the highest temperatures of the year."GAZA CITY, PALESTINE — AUG. 3, 2026: A severe shortage of generator fuel and medical supplies at the Patient's Friends Association Hospital in Gaza City is putting intensive care patients and newborns in incubators at risk. The hospital has switched off most of its electricity to conserve its remaining generator fuel, with insufficient fuel being allowed into the territory to sustain critical medical services. Dr. Samer Lubbad, head of the Neonatal and Intensive Care Unit, said the hospital has been forced to shut down its generators for several hours each day to conserve its remaining fuel. He said the measure disrupts critical medical care and forces staff to work under extremely difficult conditions, including intense heat during summer months. "As we know, the intensive care and neonatal departments contain equipment that supplies hospitalized patients with oxygen. Power interruptions therefore disrupt the oxygen supply to these children," he said. Appealing to "all international organizations to allow fuel into Gaza and to supply Friends of the Patient Hospital with the fuel n