Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Ramallah, May 26 – Civil Defense spokesman in the Gaza Strip, Mahmoud Basal, today denounced the famine caused by the Israeli blockade and warned that the lack of food particularly affects children and women.
“Thousands of children have died or are at risk of dying as a result of this tragic reality,” the official warned in an interview with the Qatari television station Al Jazeera.
He explained that premature babies and infants are the most affected because their bodies cannot withstand the effects of the famine.
Basal emphasized that the wounded and people with chronic illnesses suffer the same fate.
He criticized the blockade imposed by Benjamin Netanyahu's government and stated that the very limited aid flow to Gaza in recent days is just "a drop in the ocean."
The number of trucks loaded with goods entering the Gaza Strip does not even cover the minimum requirements for daily life, he emphasized.
Currently, only 90 to 100 vehicles enter daily, but the territory's needs exceed 600 under normal circumstances, although the number is expected to increase to 1,000 every 24 hours due to the severe crisis, he explained.
He also harshly criticized the aid distribution mechanisms announced by Israel and the United States.
It is necessary to deliver supplies to neutral international organizations, including several UN agencies, he noted.
Cindy McCain, director of the World Food Program, warned yesterday in a statement that 500,000 Palestinians currently suffer from severe food insecurity in the Strip. (Text and photo: PL)
