Gaza, January 1 (QNA) – The Gaza Center for Human Rights has confirmed that several hospitals and health facilities in the Gaza Strip have been forced to reduce their services or completely cease operations on several occasions due to Israel's obstruction of the entry of sufficient and regular quantities of fuel needed to operate generators.

In a press release on Thursday, the Center stated that operations at other hospitals remain unstable and dependent on limited quantities of diesel fuel, which has led to a direct threat to the lives of patients and the wounded, especially in intensive care units, operating rooms, and neonatal units.

The Center added that the severe restrictions imposed by Israel on fuel entry, and the deliberate obstruction of the entry of the necessary quantities to operate vital facilities, have had a serious impact on all aspects of life in the Gaza Strip, which is already suffering from a catastrophic humanitarian situation as a result of the ongoing aggression and the years-long blockade.

The Gaza Center for Human Rights stressed that using fuel as a tool of pressure and collective punishment constitutes a crime under international humanitarian law and violates Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits collective punishment against civilian populations.

The Center expressed its deep concern regarding the continued obstruction by the Israeli occupation of the entry of sufficient quantities of diesel and fuel into the Gaza Strip, which places humanitarian response efforts in a dangerous and catastrophic situation.

This constitutes a flagrant violation of the rules of international humanitarian law, particularly the obligations of the occupying power towards the civilian population under occupation. (QNA)