Patients at Gaza hospitals are increasing as Israel blocks food and other supplies enter the enclave enter three months.
Palestinians in Gaza struggle to feed themselves, and because hospitals cannot provide food, families must bring anything they can do for their loved ones.
“Most, if not all, of the injured patients, have lost weight, especially in the last two months,” said Dr. Khaled Alsel, a general surgeon at Nasser Hospital in the southern part of Khan Yunis.
He said there is a shortage of dietary supplements for patients in the intensive care unit. “When it comes to making the best choice for our patients, our hands are tied down. Our options are limited.”
Aid groups say malnutrition is on the rise across Gaza.
Thousands of children have been found to be acute malnutrition in the past month, but adults are not receiving the right nutrients either, according to the United Nations. It estimates that 16,000 pregnant women and new mothers face acute malnutrition this year.
Food sources have been declining since Israel’s lockdown began on March 2nd.
The aid group has stopped distribution of food. The bakery has been closed. Charity kitchens that hand out bowls of pasta and lentils remain the last lifeline for most populations, but according to the United Nations, they are rapidly closing due to shortages of supplies.
The market has almost everything except canned items and small amounts of vegetables, and prices are rising.
Local vegetable production plunged as Israeli forces damaged 80% of Gaza’s farmland, the UN says, and much of the rest is inaccessible within the newly declared military zone.
Israel says it imposed a blockade and resumed its military campaign in March, putting pressure on Hamas to release the remaining prisoners and disarms.
Israeli officials claim that a two-month ceasefire earlier this year saw enough food enter Gaza. Rights groups disputed it, calling the blockade a “hunger tactic” and a potential war crime.
Currently, Israel will use private contractors to distribute supplies and manage the distribution of aid in Gaza.
The UN and other aid groups have rejected the idea, restrict who is eligible to receive or receive aid, and say it can force a large number of Palestinians to violate international law.
People in hospital care, and families seeking to feed them, will face further challenges under Israeli suggestions. Moving to aid may be out of the question.
Israel’s war with Gaza killed at least 52,829 Palestinians and injured 119,554 people, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Enclave’s government media office has updated the death toll to over 61,700, and it has been estimated that thousands of people are dead under the tile rub.
An estimated 1,139 people were killed and over 200 were taken prisoner in Israel during the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023.
Source link
