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Tragic Deaths Of 6 Children In Gaza Amidst Healthcare Struggles And Ongoing Conflict
(CTN News) – In a tragic turn of events, six children have lost their lives due to dehydration and malnutrition in hospitals located in northern Gaza, as reported by the Health Ministry in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Two of the casualties occurred at al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, while four others passed away at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, leaving seven more children in critical condition.
Health Ministry spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra urgently appealed for international intervention to prevent a worsening humanitarian catastrophe in the region.
The plea comes amid ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza, intensifying the challenges faced by the already strained healthcare infrastructure.
Kamal Adwan Hospital’s Director, Ahmed al-Kahlout, revealed that the facility had ceased operations due to a lack of fuel to power its generators. This distressing situation echoes that of Al-Awda Hospital in Jabalia, which also went offline for the same reason on Tuesday.
Journalist Ebrahem Musalam shared a video on Instagram, verified by Al Jazeera’s Sanad verification unit, displaying an infant in the pediatric department at Kamal Adwan Hospital grappling with intermittent power supply.
Musalam highlighted the dire conditions faced by these children, citing malnutrition, a scarcity of infant formula, and malfunctioning devices due to persistent power outages resulting from fuel shortages.
Against this backdrop, Palestinian group Hamas emphasized that the closure of Kamal Adwan Hospital would exacerbate the health and humanitarian crisis in Northern Gaza, an area already on the verge of famine due to Israeli restrictions hindering aid missions.
The international community faces a pressing moral and humanitarian challenge to address the escalating crisis and prevent further loss of innocent lives in Gaza.
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Israeli Aid Convoy Enters Northern Gaza After Month-Long Blockade
On Wednesday, Israel reported the successful entry of a convoy comprising 31 trucks laden with food into northern Gaza.
This development follows the recent efforts by the Israeli military office, the Coordination of Government Activity in the Territories (COGAT), with nearly 20 additional trucks providing aid on Monday and Tuesday.
These deliveries mark the first substantial influx of aid in a month to the beleaguered and isolated region, where the United Nations has issued dire warnings about the escalating threat of starvation.
Israel’s delay in permitting aid into Gaza has drawn criticism, with Israeli protesters participating in demonstrations urging a blockade on aid shipments to the territory, even in the face of growing hunger and disease.
According to UN officials, Israel’s prolonged military conflict, resulting in nearly 30,000 casualties in Gaza, has pushed a quarter of the population—approximately 2.3 million people—to the brink of famine.
Humanitarian group Project Hope, operating a clinic in Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, reported alarming statistics, revealing that 21 percent of pregnant women and 11 percent of children under the age of five treated in the last three weeks are suffering from malnutrition.
The organization highlighted the severe challenges faced by the local population, including the scarcity and high cost of nutrient-dense foods, forcing many to rely on white bread as their primary source of sustenance.
As aid finally reaches northern Gaza, international attention remains focused on the urgent need to address the deepening humanitarian crisis and provide essential assistance to the vulnerable population grappling with the aftermath of conflict.
https://twitter.com/MofaQatar_EN/status/1762881802308391095?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Qatar and France Condemn Israeli Offensive on Rafah, Pledge $200 Million for Gaza Relief
In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, Qatar and France expressed their strong opposition to an Israeli military offensive on Rafah in southern Gaza.
The two nations emphatically rejected the ongoing hardships faced by the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, denouncing the acts of killing and starvation.
The joint communique underscored the imperative need for the opening of all crossings into Gaza, including those in the north, to facilitate the resumption of humanitarian activities.
They specifically called for the delivery of food supplies and announced a collective effort, pledging $200 million in support of the Palestinian population.
Jan Egeland, the secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council, echoed these sentiments, emphasizing that Israel must allow aid trucks to enter Gaza urgently to address the dire humanitarian crisis.
In a social media post accompanied by a video depicting a long line of aid trucks waiting at the Rafah and Kerem Shalom (Karem Abu Salem) crossings, Egeland stated that hundreds of aid trucks are queued up to reach the starving civilian population.
Egeland pointed out the challenges in the current system, highlighting that not a single day has seen the necessary 500 trucks cross into Gaza. He called on Israel to address the broken system for the sake of the innocent civilians facing the brunt of the crisis in Gaza.
The collective calls for increased humanitarian access and support reflect the international community’s growing concern about the worsening situation in the region.
Hundreds of aid trucks wait in line to cross into Gaza at the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings to a starving civilian population. There has not been a single day we have gotten the needed 500 trucks across. The system is broken and Israel could fix it for the sake of the innocent pic.twitter.com/dMb9gTbchJ
— Jan Egeland (@NRC_Egeland) February 28, 2024
Doctors Without Borders Warns of Healthcare Collapse Amid Gaza Crisis
Medical aid organization Doctors Without Borders, also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), has issued a stark warning about the deteriorating healthcare situation in Gaza. As hundreds of thousands of displaced people in the region endure dire conditions with no place to seek refuge, medical workers are facing immense challenges.
MSF’s Meinie Nicolai expressed the severity of the situation, stating, “Healthcare has been attacked; it’s collapsing. The whole system is collapsing. We are working from tents trying to do what we can.
We treat the wounded. With the displacements, people’s wounds have been infected. And I’m not even talking about the mental wounds. People are desperate. They don’t know anymore what to do.”
The organization highlighted the critical need for immediate intervention and support to address the overwhelming healthcare crisis in Gaza. Displaced individuals, already grappling with physical injuries, are now confronting the risk of infections due to inadequate medical facilities.
The mental health toll on the population, traumatized by the ongoing crisis, adds another layer of urgency to the humanitarian response.
As the international community grapples with the escalating situation, calls for increased aid and medical assistance in Gaza intensify to prevent a complete breakdown of the healthcare system and mitigate the suffering of the affected population.
