Under the title “The blockade grinds Gaza … its children are hungry and its patients in the dead”, the New York Times addressed the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the comprehensive Israeli siege led to a “catastrophic” situation in which diseases and deaths rose, especially among children, as a result of the severe shortage of food, water and medicines.
“I cannot give any advice to them. In most cases, these patients die.”
This miserable situation clearly reveals the dire consequences of the siege imposed by Israel on the Strip, while the international community criticizes its actions, as humanitarian organizations and European officials accuse them of using aid as a “political tool”, according to the newspaper.
These officials warned that this siege violates international law, highlighting that its impact extends to all aspects of life for two million Gaza, which exacerbates the effects of years of partial siege that was imposed on the Gaza Strip before the October 7, 2023 war.
The basic necessities have become far -fetched, as explained to the newspaper Ahmed Mohsen (a building worker) with sorrow, saying: “Imagine that you have not tasted meat, boiled egg, or even an apple for months.”
This siege generated a crazy rise in food prices, as many depend on charitable kitchens that are constantly decreasing, and Ahmed Al -Nasir, a displaced grocer, describes the severe rationalization and the psychological impact of this situation, saying: “We eat once a day, at noon, and this is all. I feel like I cannot breathe when I see my brothers and sisters still hungry.”
Also, clean water runs out, as water desalination plants operate at its lowest capacity. The lack of clean water and sanitation leads to a sharp rise in preventive diseases. The psychological impact of this is very profound, as Ahmed Al -Ajal – who is a father from Gaza City – notes that “the effect of the siege is now clear on the faces of people, as everyone is pale and their nerves are exhausted.”
The medical system collapses under the weight of the lack of materials and malnutrition, and this is expressed with great sadness, Dr. Ghazi Al -Yaziji, in Al -Shifa Hospital, saying: “Without urgent intervention and resuming aid, we will lose more patients. We are facing a catastrophic situation.”
The desperate call from the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator Tom Fleischer also confirms the seriousness of the situation, as he says bitterly: “To the Israeli authorities, and those who are still able to persuade them, we say again: Raise this brutal siege … As for the civilians who were left without protection, the phrases do not help me to apologize to them … but I am sorry for our inability to urge the international community to prevent this injustice.”
The bottom line is that this report draws a horrific image of residents on the edge of the abyss, struggling to survive in light of an uncomfortable siege.