Due to the shortage of fuel and an influx of wounded Palestinians, the maternity ward at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City has been relocated to the private al-Helou International Hospital. This move was necessitated by the hospital’s lack of space and the need to accommodate the increasing number of injured individuals. Mohammed al-Helou, a doctor specializing in obstetrics and gynecology, assured that the al-Helou International Hospital is fully equipped to handle all necessary services, including neonatal care, internal medicine, and surgery.
The conditions experienced by pregnant women in the midst of this war have been described as deeply horrifying. The constant bombings and absence of safe spaces in the Gaza Strip have instilled fear in people, discouraging them from seeking medical attention. This has resulted in approximately 50,000 pregnant women being unable to access basic health services, as reported by the United Nations Population Fund in Palestine. The UN estimates that at least 5,500 women will give birth in October, with many cases of premature births and miscarriages attributed to the anxiety and panic induced by the ongoing Israeli bombings.
The dire situation in Gaza has led to a collapse of medical supplies and fuel resources, rendering hospitals unable to properly operate. Al-Shifa hospital, due to a lack of available space, has had to accommodate some of the Palestinians injured in Israeli attacks in its maternity ward. As a response, the Palestinian health ministry decided to transfer the ward to al-Helou hospital, which had itself recently been targeted by Israeli shelling but sustained no casualties. The medical director at al-Shifa hospital, Abdelhakim Shehateh, expressed the urgent need for resources, stating that they lack everything from syringes to hospital beds.
The Israeli bombing campaign and fuel depletion have caused at least 16 out of 35 hospitals in the Gaza Strip to cease operations, according to the health ministry. This situation has prompted spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra to warn of an imminent health catastrophe, as the main electrical generator at the Indonesian Hospital has already ceased functioning, and the main generator at al-Shifa hospital is on the verge of stopping as well.