🔥 Survival in Gaza: Burning Waste for Fuel as Crisis Intensifies 🔥
Families in the Gaza Strip are facing unimaginable hardships as ongoing hostilities continue to jeopardize their lives. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) reports that over the past seven weeks, the military operations have uprooted a staggering 130,000 people. 🏠💔
In the northern Gaza Strip, including Gaza City, the situation is dire. With a critical shortage of cooking gas, families are resorting to burning waste to cook their meals. This desperate measure is not just hazardous but also increases the risk of respiratory infections, especially when healthcare services are minimal. Talk about a dystopian reality! 😷🔥
The hunger crisis is no less alarming. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), prices of basic food items have skyrocketed by over 1,000% compared to levels before the hostilities began. Imagine paying 10 times more for your daily bread! 🥖💰
This week, the WFP managed to deliver some much-needed wheat flour to bakeries in central Gaza. Although seven bakeries have been operational, they are intermittently shutting down due to shortages of flour and fuel. Bread has become a lifeline—often the only food families can access. Keeping these bakeries open is absolutely critical. 🍞🙏
But it's not just about food. There's a severe shortage of adequate shelter for the hundreds of thousands displaced by the conflict. Less than a quarter of the shelter needs in the Gaza Strip have been met, leaving nearly a million people at risk as winter approaches. ❄️🚫
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) highlighted that approximately 545,000 people are living in damaged buildings and makeshift shelters. There's an urgent need for tarpaulins and repair kits to make these living spaces safe and warm. 🏚️🛠️
In the southern regions, recent rains have flooded shelters along the shoreline in Al-Qarara, displacing hundreds more to Hamad City in Khan Younis over the past six days. It feels like there's no safe haven for these families. 🌧️🚨
The crisis isn't confined to the Gaza Strip. In the West Bank, OCHA noted a deteriorating situation where Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians, including a child, from November 19 to November 25. Seven were killed during a 48-hour operation in Jenin. 🕊️✨
The stakes are higher than ever, and the need for global awareness and action is urgent. Let's not turn a blind eye to the struggles of these communities. 🌎❤️
Reference(s):
Hostilities continue to put Palestinians at risk in Gaza, UNRWA says
cgtn.com
