Juan Cole
( Middle East
Monitor ) – Gaza’s Ministry of Health today announced that 35-day-old Yousef
Kalloub froze to death because of the lack of sufficient winter clothes and
suitable living conditions in the enclave as a result of Israel’s genocidal
war.
Yousef became
the eight baby to freeze to death in Gaza.
In a statement
yesterday, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warned
that “cold weather and lack of shelter are causing the death of newborns in
Gaza, while 7,700 newborns lack life-saving care.
The displaced
Palestinians have been living in tents made of cloth and nylon, due to the
scarcity of essentials such as water and food, in addition to a severe shortage
of clothing, blankets and heating during the winter.
Many tents
flooded and were blown away from the winter winds last week, leaving many
exposed to the elements and putting the lives of infants further at risk.
[See Juan Cole,
Gaza Yet Stands (Ann Arbor, 2024) ]
Tom Fletcher,
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief
Coordinator, on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, commented,
“Our
humanitarian effort in Gaza, already struggling, faces mounting obstacles.
“Just three
examples from the last couple of days alone. An Israeli strike seriously
injured three people at a known food distribution point where a partner of the
World Food Programme was operating. Israeli soldiers fired over 16 bullets at a
clearly marked UN convoy at the checkpoint from the south to the north. Armed
Palestinian gangs hijacked six fuel tankers entering from the Kerem Shalom
crossing, leaving us hardly any fuel for aid operations.
“These incidents
are part of a dangerous pattern of sabotage and deliberate disruption. On
Friday night, Israeli forces increased attacks during the movement of a
74-truck aid convoy. A drone strike hit a vehicle from the local community
which was protecting part of the convoy. And just a few days ago, a UN mission
out of Jabalya ran into hostile Israeli soldiers who threatened critical
patients and arrested four of them.
“The reality is
that despite our determination to deliver food, water, and medicine to
survivors, our efforts to save lives are at breaking point. There is no
meaningful civil order. Israeli forces are unable or unwilling to ensure the
safety of our convoys. Statements by Israeli authorities vilify our aid workers
even as the military attacks them. Community volunteers who accompany our
convoys are being targeted. There is now a perception that it is dangerous to
protect aid convoys but safe to loot them.”
The World Food
Programme complained about Israel firing on its aid workers: “The World Food
Programme (WFP) strongly condemns the horrifying incident on January 5, when a
clearly marked WFP convoy was shot at by Israeli forces near the Wadi Gaza
checkpoint, putting the lives of our staff at tremendous risk and leaving the
vehicles immobilized. The convoy, consisting of three vehicles carrying eight
staff members, came under hostile fire despite having received all of the
necessary clearances from Israeli authorities. At least 16 bullets struck the
vehicles. Thankfully, no staff members were injured in this terrifying
encounter.”
UN News adds
that the firing on the WFP convoy took place at that same time as reports that
a projectile hit a flour distribution center located in central Gaza, managed
by a United Nations aid collaborator, over the weekend, critically wounding
three relief workers. Personnel from the UN agency present near the storage
facility recounted hearing distressing screams following the impact.
Additionally, they reported instances of looting and gunfire that occurred
after the explosion on Sunday at the MA’AN Development Center site.
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