Remaining hospitals in Gaza have 24 hours before ventilators and incubators will shut down, charity warns

The facilities are running out of fuel

Palestinian emergency services and local citizens search for victims in buildings destroyed during Israeli air raids in the southern Gaza Strip The UN agency UNRWA, or the Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, has said the initial aid deliveries have been a "drop in the ocean" of what is needed. (Photo by Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images)

Hospitals in Gaza have 24 hours left to treat children, the wounded and the dying, an aid charity has warned, as international health organisation revealed almost two-thirds of Gaza’s health facilities have ceased functioning.

In a stark warning to international leaders, ActionAid said there was only enough fuel left to keep generators going in any medical facilities for one more day and called for urgent aid to be delivered to the strip, which is being hammered with Israeli air strikes. More than 700 people in Gaza were killed in the last day, the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza has claimed – the worst number of fatalities since the conflict began over two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, WHO said 12 hospitals out of a total of 35 in Gaza were not functioning as of Monday. It said 46 out of 72 health care facilities across Gaza, totalling 64 per cent, were not operating, mostly in Gaza city and northern Gaza.

Little aid has been allowed in to Gaza. Israel has refused to let any across its borders amid a blockade, while the remaining border into Egypt has been hit by Israeli airstrikes and political obstacles, with just a small number of aid trucks able to reach those in need.

"We issue this urgent plea to the international community, calling for immediate action to deliver essential fuel aid to Gaza,” ActionAid said. “As hospitals teeter on the brink of running out of power, the lives of patients, including infants and the elderly, are at grave risk.”

The charity pointed to warnings over the weekend from the United Nations, which said the lives of at least 120 newborn babies in incubators in Gaza’s hospitals , 70 of which are on mechanical ventilation, are at risk as fuel runs out.

According to the Palestinian Information Centre, Gaza's hospitals usually serve 1,100 patients with kidney failure, including 38 children, with 13,000 dialysis sessions every month. The Shifa hospital, the largest in the Gaza strip, is treating over 5,000 patients, significantly over its capacity of 700 patients and is hosting over 45,000 refugees who have fled their homes.

The statement from ActionAid said: “This is entirely avoidable. We stand at a critical juncture, where immediate action can make the difference between life and death for thousands of civilians in Gaza. The situation is dire, and the time for action is now. We implore individuals, governments, and organisations worldwide to come together and act decisively to address the urgent humanitarian crisis in Gaza – this is about our collective humanity.

“We are asking all governments and the international community to do everything in their power to bring about an immediate ceasefire, reverse the evacuation order in Gaza, guarantee the full protection and safety of civilians and ensure lifesaving humanitarian assistance now.”

Meanwhile, in Westminster, MPs were told the number of aid trucks being allowed into Gaza is “wholly inadequate”, by the shadow international development minister, who warned of a “humanitarian catastrophe”.

Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft told the Commons: “Children in Gaza have begun writing their names on their hands so they can be identified and buried with their families when they are killed.”