Al-Arabi al-Jadid <https://www.alaraby.co.uk/society/%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%87-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D8%B1%D9%81-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D8%AD%D9%8A-%D8%AA%D8%BA%D8%B1%D9%82-%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B9-%D9%82%D8%B7%D8%A7%D8%B9-%D8%BA%D8%B2%D8%A9> reports, “The streets of the Gaza Strip are witnessing a catastrophic environmental crisis due to the mixing of rainwater with sewage water, which is now flooding various roads as a result of a continuous overflow, resulting from the targeting of infrastructure [by the Israeli military], and the inability to drain the necessary quantities of wastewater due to the depletion of fuel, and the complete outage of electricity.”
Some 70% of people in Gaza are forced to drink contaminated water or water with too much salt in it, which is a health hazard, according to Doctors without Borders (MSF) <https://slguardian.org/infections-on-the-rise-in-gaza-as-israel-impedes-delivery-of-water-food/>. Although each person needs about 3 liters a day of drinking water, and needs four times that for hygiene and other purposes, entire families are getting only 3 liters a day, according to MSf. There is an estimated one toilet for every 500 people. There is a severe risk of a massive spike in infant mortality <https://maktoobmedia.com/world/20000-babies-born-into-gaza-war-135000-minors-at-severe-risk-of-malnutrition-unicef/> from dirty water, not to mention malnutrition from insufficient food being allowed into the Strip. *https://www.juancole.com/2024/02/untreated-palestinians-mortality.html <https://www.juancole.com/2024/02/untreated-palestinians-mortality.html>* Gaza: Israeli Siege, Palestinian Starvation, and the pre-War Policies that made them Vulnerable But food insecurity in Gaza and the mechanisms that enable it did not start with Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attack. A U.N. report from 2022 <https://www.ochaopt.org/content/movement-and-out-gaza-2022> found that a year before the latest war, 65% of Gazans were food insecure, defined as lacking regular access to enough safe and nutritious food <https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/food>. Multiple factors contributed to this food insecurity, not least the blockade of Gaza <https://www.unicef.org/mena/documents/gaza-strip-humanitarian-impact-15-years-blockade-june-2022> imposed by Israel and enabled by Egypt since 2007. All items entering the Gaza Strip, including food, become subject to Israeli inspection, delay or denial. Basic foodstuff was allowed, but because of delays at the border, it can spoil <https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/news/2007/07/27/gaza-almost-completely-aid-dependent> before it enters Gaza. A 2009 investigation by Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz <https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2009/jun/16/gaza-blockade-israel-food> found that foods as varied as cherries, kiwi, almonds, pomegranates and chocolate were prohibited entirely. At certain points, the blockade, which Israel claims is an unavoidable security measure <https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE78C59R/>, has been loosened to allow import of more foods; for example, in 2010 Israel started to permit potato chips, fruit juices, Coca-Cola and cookies <https://abcnews.go.com/International/Media/israel-signals-partial-easing-gaza-blockade/story?id=10873488> . By placing restrictions on food imports, Israel seems to be trying to put pressure on Hamas by making life difficult for the people in Gaza. In the words of one Israeli government adviser in 2006 <https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-19975211>, “The idea is to put the Palestinians on a diet, but not to make them die of hunger.” To enable this, the Israeli government commissioned a 2008 study <https://www.gisha.org/UserFiles/File/publications/redlines/redlines-position-paper-eng.pdf> to work out exactly how many calories Palestinians would need to avoid malnutrition. The report was released to the public only following a 2012 legal battle. https://www.juancole.com/2024/02/palestinian-starvation-vulnerable.html -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#28929): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/28929 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/104397190/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
