Saudi-European Parliamentary Friendship Committee discusses cooperation during Strasbourg visit    Diriyah to host third IMFC Deputies meeting under Saudi chairmanship    15,135 decisions taken to penalize Saudis and expats for violations    Saudi stock market loses half a trillion riyals, with Aramco's losses amounting to SR340 billion Tariff turmoil rattles Gulf markets    KAU to host Digital Communication Conference in Jeddah from April 29 to May 1    TGA: Riyadh tops with 45% of 290 million orders delivered in 2024    Aja and Salma mountains draw nature lovers to Hail's rugged landscapes    US revokes all visas for South Sudanese nationals over deportation dispute    Death toll from Myanmar earthquake rises to 3,471    Macron to hold Gaza summit with Egypt and Jordan in Cairo    Benzema rescues Al Ittihad with stoppage-time equalizer in thrilling Jeddah Derby    Al Qadsiah and Al Ettifaq share spoils in tense Eastern Derby stalemate    Moussa Diaby praises Al Ittihad's resilience after Jeddah Derby draw "When you can't win, you take a point"    Saudi assistant referee Iman Al Madani joins AFC elite list for 2025    Riyadh Art Week launches with over 50 galleries showcasing global artistic dialogue    Turki Al-Sheikh announces five new Saudi film projects to be produced in Riyadh    Saudi Ministry of Education to showcase innovations at 2025 Geneva International Exhibition    Ed Sheeran weaves Persian music into new song, Azizam    Al-Jadaan: Crown Prince's directives confirm government's ability to bring back balance to real estate market    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Gazans struggle for survival; north sealed off
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 08 - 11 - 2023

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians still in northern Gaza face unprecedented hardship after being isolated by Israeli military operations, while a medical convoy sent by the UN and partners was fired on in Gaza City, the organization's humanitarians said on Wednesday.
The development came as foreign ministers from the G7 group of countries joined international calls on Wednesday for humanitarian pauses in the fighting to protect civilians, help bring in aid and support the release of the more than 240 hostages held captive in Gaza by Hamas since Oct. 7.
No bakeries are functioning in the north because of a lack of fuel, water and flour and no food or bottled water has been distributed there in a week, according to UN humanitarian affairs coordination office OCHA.
Due to the lack of medical supplies, hospitals in the north now conduct surgery without anesthesia, UN health agency WHO said.
Adding to the dire healthcare picture, OCHA reported that a convoy of five trucks from WHO and the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), escorted by two vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) came under fire on its way to deliver lifesaving medical supplies to the Shifa and Al Quds hospitals in Gaza city on Tuesday.
Two trucks were damaged and a driver was injured, but the convoy ultimately reached Shifa hospital and made its delivery, OCHA said.
Meanwhile, Israeli bombardments continued across the Gaza Strip while Palestinian armed groups continued launching projectiles toward Israel.
Israeli troops are reportedly inside Gaza City in pursuit of Hamas fighters responsible for the deadly Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel.
OCHA said that the Israeli military reiterated its evacuation orders to residents in the north and on Tuesday, for the fourth consecutive day, opened a "corridor" along a main traffic artery, giving residents a four-hour window to move southwards.
UN monitors estimate that up to 15,000 people may have used this route. OCHA stressed that "the majority, including children, elderly people and people with disabilities, arrived on foot with minimal belongings".
On Tuesday the Israeli army also renewed its evacuation orders for the Rantisi hospital in Gaza City, the only pediatric facility in the north, "claiming that armed groups were using its premises and surroundings", OCHA said.
According to Gaza's health authorities, such an evacuation would endanger the lives of dozens of children who are either on life support, undergoing kidney dialysis or relying on respirators.
As many as a third of all buildings in northern Gaza have reportedly been destroyed or damaged, and a UN-appointed independent rights expert warned on Wednesday that systematic or widespread bombardment of housing, civilian objects and infrastructure are strictly prohibited by international humanitarian law, criminal law and human rights law.
Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, said that carrying out hostilities "with the knowledge that they will systematically destroy and damage civilian housing and infrastructure, rendering an entire city — such as Gaza city — uninhabitable for civilians is a war crime".
UN Special Rapporteurs are independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council. They are not employees of the UN and do not receive a salary from the UN for their work.
In southern Gaza, finding food and water remains challenging, OCHA said. Eleven bakeries have been hit and destroyed since Oct. 7 and "the only operative mill in Gaza" is at a standstill due to a lack of electricity and fuel.
OCHA said that bread is provided to bakeries "intermittently" and people queue for long hours in front of the functioning bakeries, where they risk being hit by airstrikes.
Water entering from Egypt in bottles and jerry cans is "addressing only four per cent of the residents' water needs per day", OCHA warned, based on an allocation of three liters per person per day for all purposes, including cooking and hygiene.
On Tuesday, 81 trucks carrying food, medicines, health supplies, bottled water and hygiene products entered Gaza from Egypt through the Rafah crossing. In total, 650 aid trucks have entered Gaza since deliveries resumed on Oct. 21.
OCHA recalled that prior to the start of hostilities, an average of 500 truckloads entered Gaza every working day; WHO has called the amount of aid it has been able to provide so far "a drop in the ocean" compared to the vast needs.
The UN has repeatedly called for more aid access to the enclave. On Thursday, UN relief chief Martin Griffiths will represent Secretary-General António Guterres at an international conference on humanitarian aid for Gaza's civilians hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. — UN News


Clic here to read the story from its source.