Palestinians form long queues to receive meals distributed by aid organizations in Deir el-Balah, Gaza. (File Photo)
Gaza City, April 17 (RHC)-- The Government Media Office has warned that Gaza is entering a “phase of complete humanitarian collapse” as Israeli forces continue to block aid into the besieged Palestinian territory.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the office said hospitals are expected to cease operations within two weeks, bakeries are shut down due to flour and fuel shortages, and water and desalination stations are not functioning. “Due to this reality … there is a real concern that at any moment a phenomenon of mass death from hunger, disease, and the consequences of lack of medical treatment may develop,” it said.
It said children are particularly affected, the media office added, with “more than 1,100,000 children suffering from severe malnutrition.” “What is happening in the Gaza Strip is not a passing crisis, but rather an organized crime of starvation that amounts to a war crime, perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces with international complicity and silence,” the media office said.
UNICEF recently shared a video of a Palestinian mother in southern Gaza describing the daily struggle to feed her children. Hanadi, who lives next to a cemetery in Khan Yunis, says she has been forced to salvage pieces of mouldy bread as food has become scarce and expensive as a result of Israel’s continued siege on the territory.
“I remove the mould and dip it in tea to feed my children. I have no choice,” she said.
Mothers in Gaza, like Hanadi, are salvaging edible bits from mouldy bread to feed their children. The lack of aid for over a month is having horrific effects on families.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has warned that the humanitarian and medical conditions in Gaza have become “very dangerous” due to Israel’s decision to halt aid delivery to the Palestinian territory in early March.
The best solution to the problem is to stick to the ceasefire deal signed in January to see the release of the remaining captives and to put an end to the war, Abdelatty said. Abdelatty added that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s recent visits to Qatar and Kuwait were part of Egypt’s efforts to deliver aid to people in Gaza.
Israeli Minister for military affairs, Israel Katz, has said Israel would not allow any humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, confirming that food is being used as a tool of pressure against Palestinian resistance groups.
The Gaza Health Ministry says the Israeli genocide, which began in October 2023, has so far killed over 51,000 Palestinians.
