Breathing depends on a cylinder: Gaza faces medical oxygen crisis
Only 12 of Gaza's 34 oxygen-generation stations remain operational, worsening the health crisis in the besieged enclave.
Az-Zuwayda, Gaza Strip – Ali Humaida’s heart rate quickens as he watches the gauge on the oxygen cylinder sitting in the corner of his tent.
As the needle falls, he looks at his 14-year-old son, Abdulaziz, lying on a mattress in the family’s tent in central Gaza’s az-Zuwayda, worried about how long the remaining oxygen will last – and where he will find more when it runs out.
Abdulaziz depends on a continuous supply of supplemental oxygen, his father says. One night, when the family’s cylinder emptied before they were able to replace it, his breathing rapidly deteriorated.
Interrupting supplemental oxygen can be dangerous for patients who depend on the therapy to maintain adequate blood-oxygen levels.