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The survival rate for newborn babies in Gaza is alarmingly low. At The Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza, newborns, often premature, struggle to survive in the malnutrition ward.
As Sky News reports, mothers, themselves malnourished, cannot breastfeed, leading to a tragic cycle where infants starve due to a lack of vital nutrition. "Within two weeks, we detected more than 250 patients of malnutrition," said Dr. Hassam Abu Safah, the hospital's director. "This was all detected in one hospital, our hospital, which means the number will most likely increase in the coming days. We ask the world to allow the entry of food and the entry of clean water."
In a heartbreaking scene, the body of a baby who didn't survive lies in an incubator, awaiting burial. Born two months premature because her mother was so weakened, she passed away unnamed, her tiny body now wrapped in a green shroud. Another baby fights for each breath, her exposed rib cage heaving with the effort to stay alive. Their nappies dwarf their frail bodies.
The Rafah border crossing with Egypt remains closed as the Israel Defense Forces continue operations in the area. Rough seas have halted the US military pier's operations, delaying aid delivery to Gaza.
Israel has released images of aid stacked on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing, blaming the UN for not collecting it. However, the UN has cited a breakdown in law and order in Gaza and warned Israel it might suspend its operations.
In a rare positive development, Israel announced a new power cable connection to a UNICEF-run desalination plant in Gaza, providing water to the Khan Yunis area. This move aims to prevent disease outbreaks during the summer months but offers only minimal respite. Gaza's landscape is now a network of rubble-filled streets and ruined homes, making much of it uninhabitable.
Most residents have relocated to humanitarian zones, living in tents or temporary shelters. With fuel scarce, donkeys and carts have become the primary mode of transport, if one is fortunate; otherwise, it's by foot.
Across Gaza, children wait in long lines with pans or plastic buckets for the daily food handout. Meals often consist of plain rice or soup, with a couple of scoops having to feed an entire family. Children thrust their bowls forward, desperate not to miss out, scraping the bottoms for every last bit. Nothing goes to waste.
As summer temperatures soar into the mid to high 30s Celsius, the plight of Gaza’s residents worsens. The old and the young, the most vulnerable, bear the brunt of the ongoing crisis.
[Information sourced from Sky News]
