Fadi, six, bears the cost of war in Gaza
WITH ribs protruding and wracked by malnutrition, this cystic fibrosis sufferer is just one of a two millionplus Gaza population in danger of starvation, say humanitarian groups.
The harrowing pictures of weeping Fadi Ez-Zenat, six, being brought to a field hospital for urgent treatment laid bare the growing catastrophe amid dwindling aid deliveries.
As Israel ignored the UN’s resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire by launching yet more air strikes, charities say children have already died from lack of food and many more are at risk.
Hungry civilians have even been seen frantically foraging for wild leaf Khobiza to stay alive.
Sally Abi Khalil, Oxfam’s Middle East and North Africa regional director, said: “Northern Gaza is days away from famine and the rest of Gaza faces a similar fate.
“Children are dying of malnutrition and starvation under the gaze of the international community.
“Since December, the number of people in Gaza who have plunged into catastrophic levels of hunger has nearly doubled.”
The UK this week air dropped more than 10 tonnes of food supplies on the strip for the first time, with the UN also seeking passage for more aid.
And UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a new call to allow more life-saving provisions into northern Gaza to combat starvation.
After more than five months of war, he also again urged the Israeli government not to carry out its threatened assault on the southern Gazan city of Rafah, warning it would end in a humanitarian disaster.
Speaking in Jordan, Mr Guterres said: “It is absolutely essential to have a massive supply of humanitarian aid
now. The fighting in Gaza must end now. The hostages must be released now. And we must not lose sight of the big picture.
“A lasting end to the IsraeliPalestinian conflict can only come through a two-state solution.”
But there was no let up in the Israeli offensive, with overnight strikes killing dozens of Palestinians.
Displaced
Explosions were heard in Deir al-Balah, apparently inflicted by IDF airstrikes and widespread fighting on the ground was reported across the Strip.
Rafah, the last refuge for about half of Gaza’s 2.3 million population when many people arrived in search of shelter after being displaced, came under heavy fire, witnesses said.
Palestinian medics said 30 people had been killed in the previous 24 hours in the city, where Israel is planning a ground assault to eliminate what it claims are militant cells.
Abu Khaled, a father of seven, said: “The past 24 hours were one of the worst days since we moved to Rafah. We live in fear, we are hungry, we are homeless and our future is unknown.
“With no ceasefire in sight, we might end up dead or displaced somewhere else, maybe north and maybe south (to Egypt).”
Israeli forces were also besieging Al-Amal and Nasser hospitals in Khan Younis, Palestinian witnesses said, a week after entering Al Shifa hospital in Gaza City, the main hospital in the Strip.
The Hamas-run health ministry said hundreds of patients and medical staff had been detained there.
But the IDF claims hospitals in Gaza are used by terrorists as bases. Hamas and medics deny this.