Tragedies are worsening in the Gaza Strip, especially in the north, starting with hunger, which is spreading widely, with the raging fire of war, and lastly, numerous cases of poisoning in one of the displacement centers.
The correspondent of the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) said that 60 children were taken to Kamal Edwan Hospital a few days ago after being poisoned as a result of consuming homemade syrup that reached the shelter center where they reside in the northern Gaza Strip, amid a widespread famine there.
He explained, based on medical sources, that there is a growing record of children suffering from dehydration and malnutrition due to the suffocating Israeli siege and the Israeli prevention of food and supplies from entering.
Journalist Islam Badr says that 70 families, who were displaced to the Al-Shima’a school in Beit Lahia in the north of the Strip, received homemade syrup, which the children quickly consumed, and soon symptoms of poisoning began to appear, and large numbers were transferred to the hospital.
According to the journalist, the affected children, upon arrival at Kamal Edwan Hospital, were given saline solutions by the doctors and underwent gastric lavage, and they confirmed that the cases were poisoning. The doctors indicated that the spoiled drink consumed by the children was the result of using expired materials in its manufacture, and people are forced to use it due to the widespread famine.
Badr explained that the spoilage of these materials is due to the expiration of their shelf life, either due to the long time since their production and the stoppage of the production wheel due to the war, or due to poor storage and the interruption of electricity to the refrigerators.
Famine and necessity
One of the parents of the poisoned children told the PIC correspondent that the residents know that the materials have expired and are spoiled, but they are forced to use them due to the escalating famine, as a result of the severe restrictions imposed by the Israeli occupation army on the arrival of aid to the northern regions since the start of the Israeli attack on Rafah.
He confirms that they are struggling to obtain what sustains them and their children, warning that the residents are only consuming bread soaked in water, amid a severe famine that is hitting the areas, causing illnesses and emaciation.
Death from malnutrition
The Anadolu Agency reported from medical sources in northern and central Gaza Strip that the death of children due to lack of food and milk allocated to them, as well as the lack of necessary treatments for their illnesses, have been recorded.
Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Edwan Hospital, confirmed the registration of more than 50 Palestinian children suffering from malnutrition during the recent period.
Photos from the Gaza Strip show children who resemble skeletons due to malnutrition. One of these children, Amjad Al-Qannou’ (3 years old), is lying in Kamal Edwan Hospital in an attempt to save his life, as he suffers from dehydration and malnutrition.
The GMO spokesman monitored cases of poisoning
Meanwhile, the Government Media Office (GMO) in the Gaza Strip announced on Monday the monitoring of cases of poisoning among Palestinians due to the consumption of expired canned food as a result of the severe shortage of food in the sector.
The GMO spokesman said in a statement that “the population is eating expired canned food, which is causing large numbers of them to be poisoned.”
He added that “famine and diseases are increasing among the population of the enclave, especially among the children.”
He continued that “the Israeli occupation is practicing a policy of systematic starvation and preventing civilians in Gaza from receiving treatment.”
The GMO spokesman indicated that “the Israeli occupation army is directly targeting municipal crews when they try to reactivate water wells in the Gaza Strip.”
Shortage of food, water, and medicine
Due to the war and Israeli restrictions that violate international laws, the Palestinians in Gaza, especially in the northern areas, are suffering from a severe shortage of food, water, and medicine supplies, reaching the point of recording deaths due to starvation.
On June 12th of the current year, Martin Griffiths, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, predicted that half of Gaza’s population will face death and famine by mid-July, unless aid access is freely allowed.
Since October 7th, 2023, Israel has been waging a brutal aggression on Gaza with absolute American support, leaving more than 123,000 Palestinian martyrs and wounded, in addition to thousands of missing persons.
Israel continues its aggression despite two resolutions from the United Nations Security Council to stop it immediately, and orders from the International Court of Justice to end the invasion of the city of Rafah in southern Gaza Strip, and take measures to prevent genocide and improve the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.
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