Braving Israel attacks for over 100 days, Gaza children bear the brunt

Braving the relentless bombing and devastating attacks by Israeli forces for over 100 days, Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip are left without access to basic necessities, such as food and milk for their children, according to local people, Anadolu Agency reports.

Due to the constant strikes by Israel since 7 October, Palestinians in Gaza face severe difficulties in meeting fundamental needs.

Tel Aviv does not allow trucks carrying humanitarian aid sent to the region without its approval and a detailed examination as part of the blockade.

Both Palestinian and international institutions have repeatedly called on Israel to let humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip through safe corridors for distribution among displaced Palestinians, especially in the northern part of the Strip.

As the war has been continuing for more than 100 days, a growing number of families fail to meet even the most fundamental needs of their children, including milk and diapers, under such circumstances.

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One of the Gazans, Mohammed Az-Zanun, told Anadolu that he has been making tireless efforts to find milk and diapers for their premature baby.

Being forced to migrate from the northern part of the Strip to southern Rafah city, Zanun stressed that he goes to the market every single day to find basic necessities for his family.

Insufficient humanitarian aid

Mentioning that sheltering centres at the schools of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) have given him a total of 39 diapers, which he says is not enough.

“It is surprising that there is no milk or diapers for children among humanitarian aid sent to the Gaza Strip,” he lamented.

Another Palestinian in the region, Sajeda Al-Sawwaf, also pointed to similar problems.

Sawwaf, who was forced to migrate to Deir El-Behal in the central parts of the enclave, stated that it is more difficult to find large diapers: “My son is 1.5 years old and weighs 14 kilograms; we need a size-6 diaper, but this size is not available in grocery stores or pharmacies.”

She said the doctor prescribed special milk containing necessary vitamins and nutrients for her child, but they also had difficulty finding it.

“I tried to replace the milk intended for children with other types of adult milk, which caused severe diarrheal and vomiting,” she lamented.

Gaza facing ‘real crisis’

Another Palestinian, Menna Jadallah, also said she was forced to feed her children with some food and water when she could not find milk or suitable alternatives.

“Israel’s continuation of the war, which has entered its fourth month, and the blocking of access to the basic needs of those living in the Gaza Strip have caused a real crisis,” she said.

Jadallah called on the whole world to “pressure Israel not to block the entry of basic supplies and humanitarian aid, especially children’s food, milk and diapers.”

Lucia Elmi, special representative of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), stated on 13 January that “children in Gaza have been under violence, death, shelling and captivity for almost 100 days.”

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas which Tel Aviv says killed 1,200 people.

However, since then, it has been revealed by Haaretz that helicopters and tanks of the Israeli army had, in fact, killed many of the 1,139 soldiers and civilians claimed by Israel to have been killed by the Palestinian Resistance.

At least 24,285 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and 61,154 injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.

According to the UN, 85 per cent of the population of Gaza is already internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60 per cent of the enclave’s infrastructure is damaged or destroyed.

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