UNITED NATIONS, February 2. /TASS/. Hospitals located in the south of the Gaza Strip are suffering from a serious shortage of oxygen, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported.
According to OCHA, Nasser and Al Amal hospitals in Khan Yunis, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, "are reportedly suffering from a serious shortage of oxygen but are seeking to share supplies between them." The report noted that by the end of January, Al Amal hospital had used up all its oxygen supplies and the staff of the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) "managed to bring 25 oxygen cylinders from Nasser hospital."
It is also specified that due to the escalation of hostilities in Khan Yunis and "a significant increase in attacks" against the hospitals, the remaining health facilities are merely "minimally functional." Ongoing clashes "in the vicinity of Al Amal and Al Kheir hospitals have severely affected their functionality and accessibility. Al Kheir hospital, a critical facility for maternal and newborn care, is currently non-operational due to extensive damage," OCHA said.
Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza-based Palestinian radical group Hamas staged a surprise incursion into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. In response, Israel has declared a state of war readiness; announced a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians; and began delivering air strikes on the enclave and certain parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are underway in the West Bank as well.