ZAHIDA RIZVI
COLOMBO :Over nine months have elapsed on the plight of the Palestinians’ displacement, seeking refuge in the overcrowded Rafah border. Hunger, lack of clean water, and brutal images and videos that keep emerging of the decomposed bodies of Palestinians under collapsed buildings amid limited rescue efforts, continue to raise humanitarian and environmental concerns. And most of all, indicates a fatal failure to end a humanitarian crisis, as it continues to this day.
In light of the acute food insecurity severely threatening 2.2 million people in Gaza, of which 576,600 are at risk of severe famine and hunger. The Ambassador for Palestine in Sri Lanka, Dr. Zuhair M. Hamdallah Zaid, asserted that the People’s voices around the world can influence to put a stop to the humanitarian crisis and the famine Gaza is being pushed into.
The Ambassador for Palestine to Sri Lanka asserted to Colombo Times that the international community should continue to take action in voicing the deprivation, starvation, and inhumane conditions of Palestinians in Gaza.
“The voices of the People outside of Gaza are crucial, an effective step to tackle the root issue in our region and give the Palestinians their basic human rights.”
Thousands of people deprived of food, water, shelter, and protection to this day, queue up in front of aid distribution as the lack of key food items further deepens. The shortage of basic food items such as rice, dairy, wheat flour, eggs, and others are reported to be in short supply, lasting no more than a week.
In the wake of the humanitarian crisis, WFP declared the food infrastructure in Gaza has collapsed, with barely 25% of the stores under WFP contract still operating and others having run out of basic food supplies.
The condition in the Rafah border and northern Gaza is claimed to be derailing, as UNICEF records amputations of more than 1,000 children without anesthesia, depletion of nutritional needs for pregnant and breastfeeding women and children, partially functioning hospitals, and a and a lack of adequate medicines and clean water is aggravating famine in Gaza.
Thirteen of the thirty-six hospitals in Gaza, seven in the north and six in the south, are only partially operational (36%), WHO reports.
As days pass, the North of Gaza suffers vastly with already limited maternity, trauma, and emergency care services. The North is challenged with a rapid drop in medical staff, including specialized surgeons, neurosurgeons, and intensive care staff, as well as a lack of medical supplies.
In December 2023, the Integrated Phase Classification report of the WFP and 15 other agencies warned that the risk of famine in Northern Gaza is bound to escalate by May unless conditions improve significantly.
Nevertheless, upon the collapse in civil order, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) is reportedly pausing deliveries of life-saving food aid to Northern Gaza.
The Ambassador of Palestine Hamdallah Zaid, pointed out to The Arab News that the situation is very fatal, and without aid, it will cause further deprivation for the Palestinians.
“Gaza needs more than 500 trucks daily to enter Gaza but currently not even 100 trucks are allowed to pass into the border. Additionally, hospitals and clinics are demolished, staff and doctors are killed are unable to work without water, electricity and no instruments to carry out operations,” he further stated.
Gaza plagued with deprivation, poor sanitation, and the spread of diseases
In the Gaza Strip, Palestinian babies, children, and pregnant women are forced to drink dirty water or collect seawater and purify it by boiling it. People with disabilities; women who are pregnant, have recently given birth, or are breastfeeding; people who are recovering from injuries or surgeries, and those with compromised immune systems, are exposed to difficult shelter conditions aggravating their condition.
Amidst an electricity blackout since 11 October and collapsing health services, 10% of the population, or over 223,000 cases, have been exposed to acute respiratory infections.
Due to the lack of power and medical supplies, emergency C-section procedures are being conducted without anesthesia, further burdening pregnant women who have previously limited access to certain foods, medications, and vitamins. Furthermore, the doctors are occasionally left to deliver the premature children of dying mothers.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health stated that over 8,000 cases of viral hepatitis A are expected to double in overcrowded shelters.
Ceasefire: A Global Responsibility
“To push for the ceasefire, is a responsibility of the international community currently, as this is now a global issue,” the Palestinian Ambassador, Hamdallah Zaid, told The Arab News.
He drew attention to the significance of a ceasefire, as the Palestinians attaining basic human rights can be achieved through the ceasefire.
“Without a permanent ceasefire, aid cannot reach the people, effectively, and without solving this issue, there will be no stability, and no justice for the Palestinians,” he said.
In an attempt to take all measures to prevent genocidal acts on Gaza, South Africa filed a complaint last month at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza. The ICJ noted that it recognizes the right of Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts of genocide and highlighted that Palestinians are a protected group under the Genocide Convention. According to the UN’s Top Court, it was instructed for Israel to do everything in its power to stop crimes of genocide in Gaza and to enhance the humanitarian situation in the beleaguered territory.
However, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) fell short of ruling for an immediate ceasefire. Regardless, South Africa reaffirms its position by renewing a call for a Gaza ceasefire for the Palestinian state.
