Depletion of milk and spread of epidemics threaten lives of Gaza’s children
From one pharmacy to another in the besieged Gaza Strip, and under the bombardment of the Israeli occupation, Moataz Al-Zaanin, a resident in Gaza, tries to get milk for his infant, but all his attempts were unsuccessful due to its depletion. The occupation has prevented the entry of basic needs into Gaza Strip since the start of its aggression on the seventh of last October.
Al-Zaanin confirmed to SANA reporter that he risked himself by leaving the UNRWA shelter center in the middle of Gaza Strip, and searched for milk under heavy artillery and air strikes, hoping to find a single container of milk for his five-month-old child, but in vain. He noted that he was forced to provide his child with milk that was not appropriate for his age, which caused him intestinal upset, as the doctors told him.
Al-Zaanin warned that the fate of thousands of infants would be unknown, and their health condition would be in grave danger, unless milk suitable for their ages was available. He called on all free people in the world to save the lives of thousands of children in Gaza who were threatened by hunger and drought.
For his part, Dr. Yahya Al-Athamneh pointed out that infants in Gaza are living in a disaster, as they do not get milk appropriate for their age, and even if some types of milk are available, the water with which it is mixed is contaminated and poses a threat to the child’s health. He stressed that hundreds of cases of stomach and respiratory diseases have been recorded among infants due to the deadly environment caused by the Israeli aggression, which destroyed the health and environmental system in Gaza Strip.
About 600,000 displaced and afflicted people residing in shelter centers in Gaza Strip are complaining of the explosion of sewage pipes and the accumulation of garbage, as a result of waste transport trucks stopping their work due to running out of fuel as a result of the complete Israeli siege on the Strip with the start of the ongoing aggression for the 27th day.
Asim Hamdan, who also lives in a shelter center in central Gaza Strip and was displaced from his home in Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, said: All residents of UNRWA shelter centers drink polluted water, as a result of the desalination plants stopping working after the fuel runs out. He referred to the pollution and unpleasant smells due to the accumulation of garbage inside shelter centers and the lack of water. He noted that the lack of bread and food supplies exacerbated the suffering of the displaced. The people of Gaza Strip live under bombardment and massacres, and suffer from hunger and food insecurity, as a result of the siege and aggression that affected markets, bakeries and shops.
Inas Abdulkareem