PARIS: Aid charities have sounded the alarm about an “apocalyptic” situation in Gaza after more than two months of war between Israel and Hamas, warning of starvation and an outbreak of disease.
In a video conference with journalists this week, international organisations depicted a bleak picture of what Save the Children called the “horrors” unfolding in the Gaza Strip.
“The situation in Gaza is not just a catastrophe, it’s apocalyptic … with potential irreversible consequences on Palestinian people,” said Bushra Khalidi of Oxfam, another UK-based charity.
“Israel safe zones within Gaza are (a) mirage,” she added.
Israel launched a massive military offensive against Gaza after Hamas militants burst across the border into southern Israel on Oct 7 and, according to Israeli officials, killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took around 240 hostages.
The health ministry in the Hama-run Gaza says 17,490 people have been killed in the war, which has displaced an estimated 1.9 million of the territory’s 2.4 million people and reduced vast areas to rubble.
Only 14 of the 36 hospitals in the Gaza Strip are currently functioning in any capacity, according to UN humanitarian agency OCHA, and little aid is reaching those in need.
“Those who survived the bombardment now face imminent risk of dying of starvation and disease,” said Alexandra Saieh of Save the Children.
“Our teams are telling us of maggots being picked from wounds and children undergoing amputations without anaesthetic,” lining up by the “hundreds” for a “single toilet” or roaming the streets in search of food, she added.
Source: CNA
