Famine, disease, and bombing a trinity lurking in the bodies of Gaza's children

Palestinian Abu Qamar: Food supplies are not available and we eat animal feed to stay alive.

Palestinian Hammad: I do not know how to react in the face of my child’s harsh cries while he is starving.

Kamal Adwan Hospital Director: Famine threatens to claim more lives if it continues for a longer time

Hosni Nedim

The 15-month-old child Farouk Abu Qamar can no longer cry from hunger, as his stomach has been empty for several days due to the severe food shortage in the northern Gaza Strip.

The child's father, Mahmoud Abu Qamar, is sitting next to him on the sick bed inside Kamal Adwan Hospital in the town of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, waiting for his son's health condition to improve.

In the midst of this difficult situation, the father, whose heart is wracked with pain, feels helpless towards his child, who cannot offer him food to silence him.

Thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza face the danger of hunger and thirst, especially children, as the Israeli war of extermination has continued since last October 7.

According to the results of recent malnutrition examinations conducted by partner organizations in the Nutrition Cluster (affiliated with the United Nations), there is a significant increase in the rate of general acute malnutrition in Gaza among children between the ages of 6 and 59 months.

General acute malnutrition reached 16.2 percent, which exceeds the critical threshold set by the World Health Organization at 15 percent.

Animal feed

Abu Qamar told the Anadolu correspondent: “The disease took hold of Farouk due to the severe fatigue and emaciation that affected him due to the scarcity of food and water.”

With signs of fatigue visible on his pale face, he added: “Farouk wakes up crying every night from extreme hunger and his stomach rumbling, but we cannot find anyone to feed him, and even the animal fodder that we used to eat is no longer available.”

Residents of Gaza and the north have resorted to grinding animal feed to obtain the flour needed to prepare bread and ensure their survival, but the stock of these grains is greatly diminishing.

Residents of the northern Gaza Strip suffer from difficult conditions, as they often find themselves spending entire days without eating. The situation requires adults to endure hunger so that children can get food.

Abu Qamar continues his speech: “In northern Gaza, we live without rice, without vegetables, without flour, without any food supplies. Food and relief aid does not come in.”

On a nearby bed, the child Ahmed Hammad (3 years old) is lying, suffering from a very high temperature, and his father is trying his best to relieve his temperature and pain by applying cold water compresses.

Hammad's father told the Anatolia correspondent: "The disease is mercilessly sweeping through my little child's body. This body has been exhausted by a difficult life and endless famine. I do not know how to react to his harsh cries while he is starving."

He added sadly: "We resorted to grinding animal feed and eating bird meat to alleviate our children's hunger. I never imagined that we would reach this situation. I never expected that we would be forced to eat animal food."

He wondered with amazement: “What is our fault? What is the fault of the children? In the northern Gaza Strip, whoever survives the bombing does not survive hunger and thirst.”

He continues: "We died of hunger. There is no food. We are very hungry. Here there is no water or food. We want the war to stop so that we can return to our normal lives."

Many residents of northern Gaza dug in the dirt streets and sidewalks to reach water lines to meet their drinking and washing needs, in light of the severe water shortage and thirst crisis that Gaza and the north are experiencing.

On February 16, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) announced that between January 1 and February 12, the Israeli authorities denied access to 51 percent of the missions planned by humanitarian partner organizations to deliver aid and conduct assessments to Areas north of Wadi Gaza.

According to the United Nations, reports indicate that catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity are increasing throughout the Gaza Strip, as the number of reports of families struggling to feed their children increases, and the risk of deaths from hunger increases in the northern Strip.

The OCHA office explained that more than half of the aid shipments to northern Gaza were prevented from arriving last month, and that there is increasing interference from the Israeli army in how and where aid is delivered.

He adds that an estimated 300,000 people living in the northern regions are largely deprived of access to aid, and face an increasing risk of famine.

Effects of famine

The director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, says, “The residents of northern Gaza have begun to be affected by famine and widespread lack of nutrition due to the Israeli siege.”

Abu Safiya added in a statement to Anadolu Agency, "Most of the cases admitted to Kamal Adwan Hospital arrive in a very critical condition due to malnutrition."

He explains that "sick children coming from shelter centers arrive at the hospital in a very critical condition due to intestinal infections and diseases that cause them advanced dehydration that requires urgent and advanced therapeutic intervention."

He points out that "medical teams admit patients to intensive care departments due to their need for round-the-clock medical and therapeutic monitoring."

The doctor warns, "The lack of medical supplies, equipment and medical tools in Kamal Adwan Hospital and the lack of proper nutrition threaten that this famine will claim many lives."

He says: "The medical staff in the hospital are suffering from starvation, just like the patients, and the hospital administration is unable to provide a proper meal for the staff working in the hospital, which provides health services around the clock."

He wonders: “How will the doctor or the wise man provide health services to the patient when he is hungry? Unfortunately, hunger is destroying the bodies of patients, medical personnel, and residents in northern Gaza.”

United Nations warnings

On November 17, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced that the population in the northern Gaza Strip is “on the brink of famine and has no place to go” in light of the ongoing war.

As of Thursday, the devastating Israeli war on Gaza had left “29,410 martyrs and 69,465 injured, most of them children and women,” in addition to thousands missing under the rubble and an “unprecedented” humanitarian disaster.

For the first time since its establishment in 1948, Israel is currently being tried before the International Court of Justice, the highest judicial body in the United Nations. On charges of committing "genocide" crimes against Palestinians in Gaza.

Cengir Tomar, Deputy Director of the Center for Historical Research, Islamic Arts and Culture of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation:

- These days, through the research team, we are preparing the title deed books in the Ottoman era for the Gaza Strip

- Our center is more than 40 years old, and the first book published on Palestine, endowments, and deed books was 1980

Ginger Tomar, Deputy Director of the Research Center for Islamic History, Arts and Culture (IRCICA) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, expressed the center’s readiness to provide any documents related to Palestine, Jerusalem and Gaza to any party, especially with regard to land titles records.

This came while he spoke to Anadolu about the work of the Istanbul-based center in issuing books, documents and manuscripts related to Palestine, and the current efforts to issue land titles records in Gaza, indicating that all documents are published via the website and any party can obtain them.

In his speech, Tomar said: “These days, through the research team, we are preparing the land titles of the Ottoman era for Gaza. Everything we prepare about Palestine and Jerusalem we put on the website, and it is open to all people globally and anyone can access it.”

He added, "The registry books will be published, and anyone who wants to view, benefit from, or take from them, or any party who wants documents from us, can contact us via e-mail to provide him with the books and documents he wants."

In response to a question about submitting Ottoman documents and manuscripts to the International Court of Justice, which is considering the claim that Israel committed genocide crimes against the Palestinians in Gaza, he said: “If there is any need for documents in the court, we will gladly send them to them.”

He stressed, saying: “This issue is for all Muslims and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and we, as a cultural center, are tasked with announcing everything on the site, and whoever wants to send it immediately in Arabic or English. As for buildings, historical monuments, manuscripts, and old photos, we are ready to send everything that is available and published.” .

Palestine is the focus of the Centre’s work

Tomar pointed out that half of the center’s work is about Palestine and Jerusalem, saying: “This center is affiliated with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and was established by the organization for the sake of Jerusalem and Palestine.”

He continued: "The center is more than 40 years old, and the first book published on Palestine, endowments, and land titles was in 1980. We have many publications and conferences that dealt with Jerusalem and Palestine, in addition to documents and the Ottoman archive, which has more than 100 million documents."

He said: "We published documents and books, which are evidence that these lands belong to the Palestinians, and even some courts use these documents if there is a problem between the endowments and others."

He stressed: “We wrote about Jerusalem and Palestine, and currently we are trying to publish the taboo in Jerusalem and Palestine, all of which are documents found in the Ottoman archives, as well as the legal records of Jerusalem, as well as old photos, all of which are evidence that these buildings existed in the Ottoman era and still exist a hundred years later. This is how we can compare.” What did the Zionist entity do there?

Documentation mechanisms

Regarding the center’s work mechanisms and documentation, he said: “We have a scientific department, including the Palestinian and Jerusalem Affairs Department, which includes 4-5 researchers within the center. Their work is only to study the Palestinian issue and Jerusalem historically, and some of them know the ancient Arabic and Ottoman languages.”

He added: "They research it, and then we publish the books and the results so that the Palestinians can benefit from this evidence, and international courts can benefit. When we look at Palestine a hundred years ago, there was an occupation that destroyed many buildings and took control of the lands, but all the lands and the taboo and their names are fixed for the Palestinians."

He went on to say, "This is an important point, and a section of the Palestinian Committee and Jerusalem are studying the issue of Jerusalem culturally, historically, and artistically. We have a team with us that is studying in Jerusalem, and there are difficulties. Israel does not want there to be work from the center for scientific study, but there are difficulties."

He stated, "We cooperate with our Palestinian brothers, and there are serious professors inside and outside Palestine who study the issue. We cooperate with them and publish their books. We publish in Arabic, Turkish, English, and French."

Documentation in Gaza and the International Court

Regarding documentation work regarding Gaza and the International Court of Justice, Tomar said: “There is something important currently, which is the destruction of antiquities and culture in Gaza by Israel, and we always publish in the media reports, articles and manuscripts related to Ottoman buildings and cultural historical buildings.”

He added: "We publish these matters and the pictures we have, and we will publish the next new pictures after the destruction and compare them in Palestine, Jerusalem and Gaza as well."

He continued: "Now there is great pressure not only in the Islamic world but also from the peoples of the world, but the problem is with the Western governments that are with Israel and the International Court of Justice is a very important step as there is a registered genocide against the Palestinians by Israel."

He explained, "Israel does not listen to any law or decisions, and needs greater pressure from the major powers, but it (the trial) is a big step, and at least for the future it will be historical that the Israeli government has exterminated Muslims and Palestinians."

He pointed out that "the current scene is painful. Israel wants to displace the Palestinians in order to control more lands, but the Gazans are still resisting the occupation. We must support them and there must be pressure from the major countries that have influence on the Israeli government."

He described what is happening by saying, "The situation is currently very bad, especially from the humanitarian perspective for civilians, women, children, and the elderly. There is a great danger, and God willing, we are trying to support them more. We are doing what we can and are ready to participate with scholars and cooperate on any issue or document related to Palestine."

He concluded by saying: “All documents in the Ottoman language have been translated into Arabic and English, and everyone can benefit from them.”