In this video testimony from Strip of Gazaan operator of Oxfam he lets off steam and tells how in six months the situation has become increasingly dramatic. With the population forced to witness a series of violence and tragedies. “We saw the horror. People killed in front of their children, doctors forced to amputate with kitchen knivescolleagues and friends reduced to starvation. Each time I thought this was the worst that could happen. But it wasn’t like that. I thought the world would move, that it would call for a ceasefire. But nothing happened.”
6 months after the start of the conflict, people in northern Gaza are surviving on average with 245 calories per day each. That is, less than 12% of calorie needs necessary, the equivalent of 100 grams of bread. Oxfam reports it, drawing data from a recent Integrated Food Safety Phase Classification (IPC) report. According to Oxfam estimates, less than half of the trucks with minimal food aid currently enter Gaza: 105 against the 221 needed not to deprive the population of the food necessary to survive.
“By analyzing the data – he explains Paolo Pezzati, spokesperson for humanitarian crises of Oxfam Italia – it is also discovered that since last October the total food aid allowed to enter throughout Gaza has served to guarantee just 41% of the calories needed by the 2.2 million inhabitants , who at this moment risk dying of hunger. At least they are 20 years However, the Israeli authorities are very clear about what needs to be done to prevent the malnutrition in the Strip, given that they decide the type and quantity of food that can enter based on age and gender, as well as the presumed ability to produce food. But at the moment he is no longer there keeping in mind”.
The IPC report also noted how famine is imminent in northern Gaza and how almost the entire population suffers from acute malnutrition, with 1.1 million people exhausted. Many children are already dying of hunger and disease, while essential health and water infrastructure is largely destroyed. It is impossible to buy fruit and vegetables which are in short supply and have reached prohibitive prices, just as it is impossible to treat malnourished children because there is a lack of means and structures.
“Israel has deliberately decided to starve civilians – adds Pezzati – Imagine what it means to survive on 245 calories, while being displaced, without access to clean water or a toilet, or medical care. Israel is ignoring both the International Court of Justice’s order to prevent genocide and the UN Security Council resolutions. Only last week the International Court of Justice ordered new provisional measures, saying that famine is now “underway” in Gaza. All countries must immediately stop supplying weapons to Israel and do everything possible to ensure an immediate and permanent ceasefire. Only in this way will we be able to stop the carnage that has been going on for six months.”
The story is part of a series of testimonies collected by Oxfam operators and managers in Gaza who ilfattoquotidiano.it decided to publish. The goal is to have a first-person account from civilians in Gaza, those who are currently paying the highest price for the conflict.
THE PETITION – There will be no significant humanitarian response without an immediate ceasefire. This is why Oxfam has launched an urgent appeal to the Italian government and European leaders which can be joined on: