Gaza: Humanitarian Catastrophe After Catastrophe
Abigale Giordano
Staff Writer
Where Gaza once stood is now rubble: no more schools, no more hospitals, no more houses of worship. Over the past year, the humanitarian situation has continued to worsen, as civilians are dying from not only illegal bombings and drone strikes but also a lack of access to adequate infrastructure and food. The basic human rights of Gazans continue to be denied as Western powers, such as the United States, continue to support and fund Israel’s actions. The National Public Radio reports that “Israel has blocked nearly all food aid from entering northern Gaza for the past two weeks, leaving some 400,000 Palestinians there with no good option.” Israeli human rights groups admit Israel has quietly adopted a “starve-or-leave policy for northern Gaza.”
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) described the situation in North Gaza as “apocalyptic.” The UNHCR reports that the “area has been under siege for almost a month, denied basic aid and life-saving supplies while bombardment and other attacks continue.” Additionally, hospitals have been under constant attack: supplies have been cut off, patients have been killed, and vital equipment has been destroyed. In targeting hospitals, Israel disrupts life-saving services. The UNHCR also describes attacks on schools that serve as shelters for the displaced, and tents that have sheltered families being shelled, burning individuals alive. DNYUZ reports that in an airstrike targeting a home in northern Gaza, civilians had to dig through the debris themselves because “there were no stretchers, there were no rescuers, there were no emergency responders.” Furthermore, DNYUZ reports that over two weeks before this civilian-targeted air strike, the Israeli military forced Gaza’s Civil Defense, the main emergency service in Palestinian territory, to cease all rescue operations for residents of northern Gaza. Over the past month, Israel has increased its military offensive in northern Gaza, with “troops, tanks, and armed drones” that have “bombarded the area almost daily, sending tens of thousands of residents fleeing and killing hundreds” according to DNYUZ. The Israeli military claims it was targeting “terrorist infrastructure” in Beit Lahia, an agricultural and residential area in northern Gaza, yet refused to respond to accusations of targeting medical workers and homes.
Recently, the U.S. gave Israel an ultimatum: increase aid entering Gaza or face possible consequences regarding military aid. The Associated Press reports that the flow of food, medicine and other supplies for Gaza is nearly at its lowest within the 13-month period, yet Reuters shares that the Biden administration has concluded that “Israel is not currently impeding assistance to Gaza and therefore is not violating U.S. law,” while ironically acknowledging that the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. Reuters quotes State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel, who claims “We’ve seen some progress being made. We would like to see some more changes happen. We believe that had it not been for U.S. intervention, these changes may not have ever taken place,” adding that Washington will continue to assess the situation. Al Jazeera emphasizes that in his statement, Patel would not say whether the specific conditions set out by the Department of State have been met. However, many international aid groups, such as Oxfam and Save the Children, challenge this assessment by the U.S. government. The Associated Press voices these groups’ concerns, with the aid groups accusing the Israeli military of hindering and blocking aid shipments to Gaza. Gazans’ survival is dependent on international aid, and multiple human rights groups claim malnutrition is rampant among Gazans. Food security experts claim famine has hit northern Gaza. In a statement to Al Jazeera, Tariq Kenney-Shawa, policy fellow at Al Shabaka stated “Biden has no intention of using his final months in office to better the humanitarian situation in Gaza or work towards a lasting ceasefire or hostage exchange…it should be clear that every step his administration has taken has been to buy Israel time and shield it from accountability.” There is nowhere for Gazans to go or return to, and no aid for them to survive the grave human rights violations they face.
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