Oxfam: In Gaza, they eat wild plants and make bread from fodder

Difficulties in securing sufficient food for the people of Gaza as a result of the ongoing Israeli military operations

Oxfam has warned that the “golden time” for agricultural production in Gaza is being destroyed by Israel’s bombing and closure of the northern Strip, which will exacerbate malnutrition and hunger due to the loss of local agricultural production.

The charitable relief organization said in a report that with the severe restrictions imposed by Israeli measures on humanitarian aid, the richest agricultural lands there will be destroyed, as the largest sources of fruits and vegetables.

She added: “The loss of local agricultural production exacerbates malnutrition and hunger, leading to famine and fear of the worst to come for the approximately 300,000 people now still living in northern Gaza.”

Threat of genocide

The organization’s Middle East and North Africa official, Sally Abi Khalil, said: “The risk of genocide is increasing in northern Gaza because the government of Israel is ignoring a key ruling of the International Court of Justice, to provide basic services and much-needed humanitarian aid.”

For its part, the Palestinian Agricultural Development Association, a partner of Oxfam, estimated that nearly a quarter of the agricultural holdings in northern Gaza were completely destroyed by Israeli forces, which destroyed greenhouses, buildings, and 70% of agricultural land. And the fleets of fishing boats in Gaza in the first days of the bombing and incursion.

Without water and without electricity

“The next two months should be the golden time for production,” Hani Al-Ramlawi, the association’s director of operations in Gaza, told Oxfam. “However, if the farms have not already been destroyed, it will become impossible to access them, because any farmer who tries to do so will be targeted.” "Directly by Israeli forces. Without water and without electricity, agricultural land means nothing."

Oxfam also noted the spread of malnutrition and reports of deaths due to hunger. The organization's partners talk about people drinking toilet water, eating wild plants, and using animal feed to make bread. They speak of “catastrophic hunger” and fear of starvation without progress on access, aid and security. “You cannot imagine these conditions,” Al-Ramlawi said.

Severe malnutrition in children

Roots, another Oxfam partner and one of the few organizations still working in northern Gaza, expressed similar concerns about high rates of malnutrition and hunger.

Juzoor introduced a vaccination program last month in the 13 shelters where it works, and also conducted nutritional checks for 1,700 children there. The director of Juzoor, Dr. Omayya Khammash, told Oxfam that they discovered that 13% of the children examined there suffered from acute malnutrition. Among them, about 55 to 60 children (3%) suffer from severe wasting and underweight. 

Turkish Foreign Ministry: There is no law left in the world that Israel has not violated

Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister, Ahmed Yildiz, said after Turkey submitted the advisory opinion to the International Court of Justice, that “Israel has not left a law without violating it, and unfortunately it has no moral base.”

The statements of the Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister came after Turkey submitted the advisory opinion to the International Court of Justice yesterday, Monday, where he stated that Turkey attended many meetings related to human rights such as discrimination, anti-Muslim (Islamophobia) and anti-Semitism, and “many rights and rules were mentioned, but when it comes to... “In Israel, these rights and rules are not valid or cannot be applied.”

The Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister stressed that "the real solution to the issue is Israel's return to international legitimacy."

He pointed out that "in most of the opinions presented by other countries in the court, the theses were talked about that are in line with the illegality of the Israeli occupation, as stated by Turkey."

He stressed that "in fact, all speakers agree on this, but unfortunately what is being talked about cannot be implemented due to the deadlock in the Security Council," expressing his hope that "there will not be an operation in Rafah and that the ongoing hostage exchange and ceasefire negotiations will lead to a result and an opening." The door to peace."

Yesterday, the Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister called for "the need to hold Israel accountable for all its practices that violate human rights and international law," in his speech before a hearing held by the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands.

At the request of the United Nations General Assembly, advisory opinions were provided regarding the legal consequences arising from Israel's policies and practices.

The UN rapporteur on the right to food said that Israel is deliberately starving the Palestinians, stressing that “it must be held accountable for war crimes and genocide.”

As the war in the Gaza Strip enters its 144th day , the bombing continues amid international warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe, while new details about the Paris Agreement are revealed, coinciding with the rise in tension on the Lebanon front.