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Gaza’s electricity shutdown has thrown the enclave into a dire health and humanitarian crisis, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) told Al Arabiya English, warning power outages will turn “hospitals into graveyards.”

Israel cut off its electricity supply to Gaza on Monday as part of what it called a “total siege” in response to a mass-infiltration by Palestinian gunmen.

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Electricity in Gaza went out on Wednesday after the sole power station in the blockaded Palestinian enclave stopped working, Hamas media reported.

Hisham Mhanna, ICRC spokesperson in Gaza, said hospitals are already without power and spoke about the grave consequences of the crisis, saying hospitals and healthcare centers are now facing a catastrophic situation.

Without both supplies and electricity, patients – from critically injured residents and babies needing urgent medical care – have been cut off from essential resources amid a fourth day of Israeli airstrikes in a response to Hamas’s recent deadly attack.

Gaza’s crossings have been destroyed or closed, leaving the population without access to an sort of aid.

“Electricity will impact the medical system – hospitals and healthcare. Infrastructure is also being damaged, preventing ambulances from reaching hospitals,” Mhanna told Al Arabiya English. “Without power, this may lead to a catastrophic situation.”

Speaking of the hospitals, there are critically injured people admitted there , babies in incubators, and patients on oxygen lifelines. “Without power, hospitals will turn into graveyards,” he said.

He further emphasized the severity of the situation, as “hospitals are without fuel and food supplies. All hospitals are almost running out of medical supplies.”

The ICRC is providing some supplies, but challenges persist, he said.

“Medical teams and civil defense teams face severe difficulties in reaching injured people, and civilians also struggle with medical admissions and ambulances.”

The situation has resulted in some families being trapped under the rubble, with evacuation options limited and unclear, said Mhanna.

Schools have also been closed.

A crisis of hope

He stressed that “we are about to face a food crisis, fuel crisis, environmental crisis, and, on top of this, a crisis of hope. People are worried about the lives of their children, fearing they may not wake up the next morning. The strikes by Israel are unprecedented, and the people of Gaza are facing an uncertain future.”

As the crisis intensifies, the number of internally displaced people within the Gaza Strip is expected to increase dramatically, said Mhanna.

HE said the mental health impact of the ongoing violence is also expected to leave “lasting scars.”

He pointed out that the situation in Gaza was already dire before the present escalation, with a lack of hope, food insecurity, closed borders, and a lack of education.

“Entire generations have grown up with a lack of hope, closed borders and a lack of education. Now, fighting has worsened things unprecedentedly. it will take decades for people to restore lives, to return to normalcy.”

Mhanna said the ICRC is commited to supporting the healthcare system in Gaza and “preventing its collapse. “

“We are in close contact with both sides of the conflict to ensure access to humanitarian aid in a timely manner and maintain the healthcare system. Water and electricity are vital, and we are committed to preventing the situation from escalating further.”

Hospital, ambulance struck

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Doctors Without Borders said healthcare facilities “must remain a sanctuary” after Israeli forces struck a hospital and ambulance, amid rising tensions in Gaza.

The humanitarian group said two people died, and several others were injured in the attack. “Following the escalation between Israel and Gaza, Israeli forces struck the enclave’s Indonesian Hospital and an ambulance in front of Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza,” the post reads. “The strikes killed one nurse, one ambulance driver, injured several and damaged an oxygen station.”

In the X post, Doctors Without Borders said it’s been supporting Indonesian Hospital and Nasser Hospital — located at opposite ends of the Gaza Strip — since 2021 and 2011, respectively.

“Healthcare facilities cannot become targets. We ask all parties to respect health infrastructure, which must remain a sanctuary for people seeking treatment,” the post continued.

It added: “The scale of this new round of hostilities must not be underestimated, with Palestinian and Israeli authorities reporting massive casualties all over Israel and Gaza.”

Plea for relief

Meanwhile, the Palestinian side faced further challenges as Israel refused a request to bring food and medical supplies into the Gaza Strip.

Hussein Al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), called on international humanitarian institutions and the global community to urgently intervene. “The Gaza Strip is facing a major humanitarian catastrophe,” he emphasized, pleading for relief materials, electricity, and water to be restored to the region.

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