What do you know about the “Starvation War” practiced by the Israeli enemy against the Gaza Strip?

The Israeli occupation army has escalated in recent hours the “Starvation War,” which it practices against civilians in the Gaza Strip, according to the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor.

Follow-ups / Al-Khabar Al-Yemeni:

The observatory affirmed in a press statement on Sunday that the occupation uses siege and starvation as tools of subjugation within the framework of a continuous war for the fifth consecutive week.

It added that the “Starvation War” has taken dangerous paths, including cutting off all food supplies and bombing and destroying bakeries, factories, food stores, and water stations and tanks.

It continued: “Israel” deliberately focused its attacks in recent hours on electrical generators and solar energy units relied upon by commercial establishments, restaurants, and civil institutions to maintain the minimum level of its performance.

The occupation shelling also targeted the agricultural area in eastern Gaza, flour stores, fishermen’s boats, and supply centers for relief organizations, especially the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the largest source of humanitarian aid in the Strip, as stated in the observatory’s statement.

The Euro-Med warned of an “imminent explosion in the numbers of child deaths in Gaza if the world does not act quickly,” adding that in the past two days, Gaza witnessed a staggering increase in the number of acutely malnourished children in need of medical care.

It stated: It is believed that malnutrition affected 70% of children in the Gaza Strip with anemia and weakened immunity before the ongoing Israeli war, and the Euro-Mediterranean Observatory estimates that the mentioned percentage has increased to over 90% due to the unprecedented Israeli policy.

It also showed that there are currently 55,000 pregnant women in Gaza, including 5,500 expected births this month, and that 52,500 infants in Gaza are at risk of starvation, dehydration, mortality, and other health hazards due to overcrowding.

It stated that “the aggression of the occupation and the disruption of damaged or non-functioning health facilities, the massive displacement, and the collapse of food, water, and electricity supplies severely threaten mothers and newborns.”

It added that the risks of malnutrition were extremely high among pregnant women, greatly affecting the survival and growth of children. With worsening access to food and water, mothers struggle to feed and care for their families, increasing the risks of malnutrition, illness, and death.

It pointed out that only 2% of aid and food supplies have been allowed by the occupation to enter the Gaza Strip so far via the Rafah crossing with Egypt, while “ignoring calls from international organizations for the necessity to allow the entry of food, water, fuel, and other necessities without restrictions,” as stated in the statement.

It continued: Despite the limited amount of food aid was allowed to enter, no commercial food imports have been delivered, leaving the population of Gaza, which amounts to nearly 2.3 million people, in desperate need of food under the imposed collective punishment approach.

It added: The limited food supplies entering from Egypt are primarily distributed to displaced persons and host families in southern Gaza, with only flour provided to bakeries, while any arrival of food items to Gaza City and its north is prevented.

Estimates from the World Food Program indicate that the current stock of essential food items will be sufficient for a maximum of four days before running out completely, at a time when trade has been paralyzed due to widespread destruction, insecurity, and fuel shortages.

It emphasized that obtaining bread in the Gaza Strip has become an “existential challenge,” stating that the only functioning mill in Gaza is still unable to grind wheat due to electricity and fuel shortages. Since October 7th, 11 bakeries have been bombed and destroyed, and those that are still operating face severe challenges due to the lack of necessities such as flour and fuel.

“The distribution of food aid to the displaced in northern Gaza has almost completely halted in the past few days following the intensified ground operations by the occupying army, which threatens widespread famine, with children bearing the brunt of it, according to a warning from Euro-Med.

It added that accessing basic food items such as flour, oil, and sugar in some warehouses that have not been destroyed poses a tremendous challenge due to fuel shortages, damaged roads, and the risks resulting from airstrikes.

It was verified that “crop irrigation and refrigeration were negatively impacted by the power outage crisis, which resulted in the disruption of food supplies.” Approximately 10,000 livestock breeders have been unable to find enough feed, and many of them have lost their animals. At this point, 15,000 farmers have lost their crops.

It mentioned that “currently, there is only less than three liters of clean water available per person, out of the minimum necessary 15 liters daily for individuals in the most severe humanitarian emergencies.”

It stated that “the stock of bottled water is depleting, and its cost has already risen to a point where it is beyond the reach of an average family in Gaza, with prices increasing by five times in some places due to severe shortages.”

It pointed out that in the past hours, the occupation deliberately targeted wells and water tanks, causing damage to the services they provide, the most recent of which was the destruction of the water well and Tal Al-Zaatar tank in northern Gaza, which served over 70,000 individuals.

The Palestinian Water Authority states that water production in Gaza now stands at only 5% of its total natural production, and it is expected to decrease further unless water and sanitation facilities are supplied with electricity or fuel to resume its activity.