Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza is “still standing,” but “barely functional,” the head of medical activities in Gaza for Médecins sans Frontières (MSF), or Doctors without Borders, Aurélie Godard said Wednesday.
Godard visited Al-Shifa — the largest health facility in Gaza — on January 22 for the first time since MSF evacuated its staff from the hospital in November.
Since November, Al Shifa has gradually “transformed into a camp for displaced people,” accommodating around 50,000 people seeking safety, according to MSF.
It said the lack of fuel for generators has made it “impossible to properly treat people in desperate need of medical care.” Godard visited the hospital with a UN convoy to deliver 19,000 liters (5,000 gallons) of fuel. “This fuel is essential because it is used to run the generators that supply the hospital with electricity,” she said.
Around 3,000 liters (793 gallons) of fuel per day are required for Al Shifa to be functional, meaning the convoy's 19,000 liters (5,000 gallons) of fuel will supply the hospital for "barely a week," according to Godard.