SAFA- The Palestinian Health Ministry on Saturday warned that Gaza's hospital oxygen supply is at risk of a critical shortage, saying the operational capacity of the remaining plants has been fully depleted as they operate beyond their limits amid recurring breakdowns and limited maintenance capacity.

In a statement, the ministry said only 12 of Gaza's 34 oxygen plants remain operational under extremely difficult technical and mechanical conditions, leaving them unable to meet the growing needs of hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

Only four of the 30 oxygen cylinder-filling units remain operational, the ministry said, warning that they could stop functioning at any time because engineering teams have been unable to complete urgent maintenance work.

The ministry stressed that oxygen is essential for life-saving care in hospitals and for patients receiving treatment at home.

It called for the immediate opening of crossings to allow spare parts and technical equipment into Gaza and urged the urgent delivery of new oxygen-generation plants to avert an imminent health and humanitarian catastrophe.

Earlier this month, the ministry warned that Gaza's healthcare system was facing an unprecedented crisis, describing the sector as being at its most critical stage amid the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza.

The latest figures on medical supply shortages indicate that 47% of essential medicines and 87% of laboratory testing supplies are out of stock, while 59% of medical consumables are unavailable. Hospital bed occupancy has also exceeded 130%, placing additional pressure on already overstretched facilities.

Medical reports and United Nations statements have increasingly warned of the deterioration of Gaza's healthcare system. Twenty-six of the Strip's 38 hospitals are currently out of service, further limiting patients' access to treatment.