The deaths of famine climb daily in Gaza, while the 22 -month blockade of Israel and the implacable attacks lead an artificial famine in houses and tents.
Since August 17, the number of people who are hungry there in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, reaching at least 263 people, including 112 children.
Why is there not enough food in Gaza?
Between March and mid-May, Israel completely sealed the Gaza level passages, preventing food, water and humanitarian aid from entering. The blockade has created extreme shortages, pushing the already fragile population of Gaza in severe hunger and dehydration.
On August 14, more than 100 aid organizations, including eminent groups such as Oxfam, Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Amnesty International and Norwegian Refugee Council (CNRC), condemned the armament of the aid of Israel, saying that it was obstructing help to safeguard the life of participation in Gaza.
Large quantities of emergency supplies are blocked in warehouses of Jordan and Egypt while the Palestinians continue to starve.
On Monday, the Amnesty International rights group accused Israel of having adopted a “deliberate policy” of famine in Gaza and of “systematically destroying health, well-being and the social fabric of Palestinian life”.
“This is the planned result of the plans and policies that Israel has conceived and implemented, in the last 22 months, to deliberately inflict on the Palestinians in the living conditions of Gaza calculated to cause their physical destruction – which is an integral part of the genocide in Israel against the Palestinians in Gaza,” said Amnesty.
Gaza still depends on aid, given an Israeli blockade which has been imposed since 2007.
Before October 7, 2023, around 500 aid trucks entered daily, nearly 15,000 per month. Since then, deliveries have radically fluctuated, rarely reaching the pre-war levels necessary to maintain the 2.3 million residents of the territory.
When does malnutrition become fatal?
The human body is based on glucose of food to survive. When food is rare, it first burns fat to keep the heart that beats, but prolonged hunger ultimately causes organic insufficiency, which can lead to death.
Prolonged malnutrition also causes cerebral fog and difficulty thinking or speaking, affecting daily functioning.
Children are most at risk because famine quickly damages their body and their growing organs.
The first 1,000 days of the life of a child, who includes during pregnancy up to two years, are essential for the development of a child.
Malnutrition, especially during this period, can have long -term devastating effects that hinder cognitive development, physical development and, in some cases where nutritional treatments and therapies are not administered, can be fatal.
In Gaza, where food shortages have been serious for months, more and more images are emerging from children in the “red” area on the muac bands, which measure the circumference of the up of the arm to assess malnutrition.
A measure of 11.5 cm indicates severe acute malnutrition. These children need emergency treatment and otherwise they risk a high risk of death.
In addition to the visible signs of extreme slimming, children suffering from severe malnutrition can show physical lines such as sunk, pale eyes, scratchy skin, hair loss and swollen belly caused by edema – accumulation of liquid in the body due to a serious protein deficiency.
How is famine measured?
Famine is the worst level of hunger, where people face serious food shortages, generally malnutrition and high levels of death due to famine.
The assessment of the situation in Gaza is difficult because access to the ground is seriously limited, and Israel has destroyed almost all health establishments. According to the integrated classification of the food security phase (IPC), the famine is when:
- At least 20% of households face extreme food shortages.
- Acute malnutrition affects more than 30% of the population.
- The mortality rate exceeds 2 deaths per 10,000 people per day.
