Equipment and oxygen cylinders at the oxygen production and filling centre of Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, Gaza, Palestine on May 6, 2026. ©Abed Rahim Khatib – Anadolu Agency
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The Gaza Strip’s medical oxygen production and cylinder-filling system could be close to collapse, according to the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), which has called for “urgent and effective” intervention to ensure the continued operation of the system.
Only 12 of the 34 oxygen generation stations in the Gaza Strip currently remain operational, while 22 are out of service, according to Mazen al-‘Arayshi, Director of Engineering and Maintenance at Gaza’s Ministry of Health.
Since the onset of Israel’s military offensive in October 2023, PCHR says the entry of new oxygen stations, as well as spare parts required for preventive maintenance and emergency repairs, has been restricted.
Al-‘Arayshi said the remaining stations are operating beyond their designed capacity under extremely challenging technical conditions, amid recurring mechanical and technical breakdowns and a declining capacity to carry out repairs.
The oxygen cylinder-filling system is facing a similar crisis, with only four of the 30 devices designated for cylinder filling currently operational.
PCHR warned that the situation has left Gaza’s capacity to produce, fill and distribute medical oxygen at risk of collapse. Oxygen is relied upon across intensive care units, paediatric and neonatal units, operating rooms and emergency departments, while some patients receiving treatment at home also depend on a continuous supply.
The warning follows , when Gaza’s health ministry said the only oxygen generation plant serving Gaza City and the north was at risk of shutting down because of repeated malfunctions and restrictions on equipment entering the territory.
Only 12 out of 34 oxygen plants remain operational under extremely complex technical conditions ©The Palestinian Ministry of Health
The facility was not specified at the time. However, it was thought to be located within or near Al-Shifa Medical Complex, which has historically acted as Gaza’s primary medical hub.
Dr Muhammad Abu Salmiya, Director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, issued an urgent distress call for a component needed to fill oxygen cylinders, reportedly worth less than hundreds of dollars.
“The filling of oxygen cylinders in Al-Shifa Medical Complex will be disrupted and also in private hospitals,” he said on social media. “There will be a real danger to the children who are in intensive care, operating rooms [and] emergency rooms.”
The latest figures suggest the problem now extends beyond a single oxygen generation plant, with PCHR describing a broader deterioration in Gaza’s oxygen production and cylinder-filling capacity.
PCHR said the 22 oxygen stations that have gone out of service cannot be viewed separately from the wider deterioration of Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure, with shortages of equipment and spare parts limiting engineering teams’ ability to carry out emergency repairs and maintain remaining systems.
According to WHO data cited by PCHR, 34 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals have sustained damage, while 18 remain partially operational.
WHO has been approached for comment on the current status of Gaza’s oxygen-generation and cylinder-filling infrastructure, including whether it can independently verify the figures provided by PCHR and the Ministry of Health.
