Oxygen Is a Luxury We Cannot Afford: Gaza's Medical Crisis Deepens

Oxygen Dependency Is a Daily Struggle

When I first visited the makeshift tent where Ali Humaida lives with his son Abdulaziz, I was struck by how fragile life had become. The family's only source of hope – oxygen – was running dangerously low.

Ali described his son's condition like a ticking clock: every drop in the oxygen gauge brought him closer to panic and despair. This is not an isolated story – it's a stark reflection of Gaza's systematic collapse, where basic medical care has become a battlefield of its own.

"Every minute that passes means the oxygen is running out," Ali told me. "I am constantly asking myself: How much is left in the cylinder? Will it last until morning? And if it empties, where will I get another one?"

For families like theirs, oxygen is no longer just a medical necessity – it's a lifeline that might not be there when needed most. As the war continues and international access remains severely restricted, we're seeing how entire communities are being starved of life-saving resources.

How Gaza's Oxygen Infrastructure Crumbled

Before the conflict escalated in October 2023, Gaza had a functioning medical system with 34 oxygen-generation stations and 30 cylinder-filling devices. Today, only 12 stations are operational – and even fewer are providing service due to mechanical failures.

The Ministry of Health has confirmed that these closures aren't due to natural wear and tear but are the direct result of Israeli-imposed restrictions on imports and maintenance. Spare parts for generators and oxygen plants have been banned from entering Gaza through border crossings, effectively leaving critical infrastructure to fail silently under pressure.

What's particularly alarming is how Israel classifies essential medical items – including oxygen cylinders, generators, and even lubricants – as "dual-use." This classification allows them to shut down any potential import pathways for these vital supplies, regardless of humanitarian need.

As I spoke with doctors inside Gaza, the same frustration echoed across their voices: they're not choosing to limit access to oxygen. They're being forced into a brutal choice between preserving life in hospitals and allowing patients at home to die alone, without help.

The Human Cost of Systemic Neglect

Abdulaziz Humaida's story is more than tragic – it's emblematic of what's happening across Gaza. Born with congenital heart defects and underdeveloped lungs, he also suffers from hydrocephalus and autism. He requires daily care, medication, and most importantly, continuous oxygen therapy.

Before the war, his family could receive treatment in Israeli hospitals. That access ended abruptly. Now, they're left entirely dependent on Gaza's already decimated healthcare system – a system that has lost more than 80% of its laboratory supplies and half of all essential medicines.

Dr. Ghada Hassouna from al-Aqsa Martyr's Hospital explained that stopping oxygen therapy can trigger rapid breathing, heart failure, and cyanosis – a bluish discoloration of the skin caused by low blood oxygen levels. In children like Abdulaziz, whose brains are particularly sensitive to oxygen deprivation, even short periods without oxygen can lead to permanent damage or death.

For families who have nowhere else to turn, these statistics become personal nightmares.

The War as a Weapon of Deterioration

I've reported on conflicts worldwide, but few have revealed such systematic targeting of public health infrastructure as what we're witnessing in Gaza. What makes this situation worse is that it's not random – it's deliberate.

Israeli authorities are actively preventing the entry of medical supplies, including oxygen plants and spare parts. Even new equipment meant to replace failing systems is blocked. This is not a humanitarian oversight; this is strategic policy.

It's also worth noting how the environment itself exacerbates these problems. With over 350,000 people living in displacement camps lacking proper ventilation, burning plastic and fuel for generators fill the air with toxins that cause respiratory illnesses. The situation has created a perfect storm: chronic disease, limited treatment options, and environmental contamination all compounding to create what amounts to a public health catastrophe.

In response, hospitals have halted non-emergency oxygen refills for home patients. It's not a decision made lightly – it's one driven by desperation, as resources are stretched thinner than ever before.

Who Bears the Burden?

As someone who has spent years uncovering the hidden costs of war on civilian populations, I am haunted by how little attention this crisis receives. The world watches the headlines from Gaza, but often misses the daily reality of those who are dying not just from bombs or bullets – but from a lack of basic oxygen.

Ali Humaida is not alone. His struggle reflects that of countless families across Gaza who live with the constant fear that one failed generator or blocked shipment could end their lives. It's not about politics or military strategy anymore – it's about whether humanity will allow this level of suffering to persist in silence.

We must ask ourselves: How long can we stand by while entire communities are forced to breathe in fear?

What Needs to Change Now

This crisis demands urgent action, not only from humanitarian organizations but also from global powers and international bodies. The United Nations has estimated that over 40,000 people need medical evacuation to get proper treatment outside Gaza – including cancer patients, those in critical condition, and others whose survival depends on access to medicines and medical devices.

Until those lives are protected and basic needs are restored, we will continue to see more stories like Abdulaziz's. Every second he waits for oxygen is a second closer to death – and every family in Gaza lives with that same terrifying uncertainty.

The world has the power to intervene, but it must act decisively now before this humanitarian emergency becomes irreversible.