Palestinian children in Jabalia camp, north of the Gaza Strip, demanding an end to the famine that afflicts them during the war (Anatolia)
Gaza -
The famine that is striking the Gaza Strip is expected to have serious short- and long-term medical repercussions, especially on vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, newborns, and pregnant women. Hunger has become a weapon used by the occupation to kill Gazans as collective punishment.
Specialists warn of the dangerous effects of the widespread famine in the north of the Strip in particular, or of malnutrition in its south, where the largest population density is currently concentrated, with more than half of the total population of Gazans in the city of Rafah alone, and the dependence of this large human mass on canned food that lacks many nutritional elements. Necessary and essential.
What are the basic nutrients that must be available to a normal human being?
Is it available in the food of Gazans during the Israeli war that is ongoing for the fifth month in a row?
Are the residents of the Gaza Strip currently at the heart of the disaster?
What are the health effects of famine and malnutrition, especially on children and emerging generations?
These and other topics are answered by Al Jazeera Net based on the expertise and experiences of therapeutic nutrition specialist Dr. Mahmoud Al-Sheikh Ali, in addition to estimates and data from local and international human rights organizations.
Clinical nutrition specialist Mahmoud Sheikh Ali: Gazans lack all major and minor components of healthy nutrition (Al Jazeera)
Is Gaza really at the heart of the famine disaster?
All the pictures and scenes coming from Gaza indicate the depth of the disaster in the small coastal strip, which has been subjected to a fierce Israeli war since last October 7.
This war is accompanied by a stifling siege and the prevention of all means of life for approximately 2.2 million Palestinians.
The humanitarian crisis appears to be more severe and dangerous in the northern half of the Gaza Strip, where it has reached the point of real famine, due to the occupation authorities' refusal to allow humanitarian supplies to arrive.
Local and international estimates indicate that the number of those in the north ranges between 400 and 700 thousand Palestinians, and they lack the most basic necessities of life. The harsh conditions even forced them to eat animal feed, slaughter a horse wounded by occupation fire, and eat tree leaves, in order to survive. They were still alive, and many of them showed signs of weakness and extreme exhaustion.
According to residents and witnesses who Al Jazeera Net spoke to, most residents have lost between 15 and 20 kilograms of their weight since the outbreak of the war, and this loss was not in a healthy way, but rather was the result of hunger or dependence on unhealthy foods.
The situation of the Gazans in the southern half of the Strip, both indigenous and displaced, is no better than in the north, as the aid that comes to them through the Rafah land crossing with Egypt is very scarce.
According to official data issued by local and international organizations, aid only meets 3 to 5% of their basic needs, in addition to its quality, which does not provide the nutrients necessary for the human body and health, especially vulnerable groups of newborns, infants, children, pregnant women, the sick, and the elderly.
Famine strikes the residents of Gaza as a result of strict Israeli restrictions on aid coming through the Rafah land crossing with Egypt (Al Jazeera)
What nutrients does a person need in his food and drink?
In order to eat healthy food, humans need macronutrients, which are carbohydrates, protein, and fats, and micronutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
Health studies indicate that starches constitute 55% of healthy food, along with a variety of other nutritional elements, in addition to clean drinking water, so that people can enjoy good health.
Accordingly, are these elements available in the food of Gazans during the war?
The residents of the Strip in the north and south suffer from a severe shortage of food resources and malnutrition, and this in itself is doomed to slow death.
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory and local human rights organizations documented cases of death as a result of hunger, especially in the isolated and besieged northern Gaza Strip.
Who are the groups most affected by famine and malnutrition?
There is a rule that says that a person cannot survive without air for more than 3 minutes, without water for more than 3 days, and without food for more than 30 days. This applies to the north of the Strip more than the south, after hunger has reached its peak and reached the point of danger. This is proven by the deaths documented by human rights organizations, most of which are in the north.
It is possible to identify groups that are at risk more and more quickly than others, such as children who may suffer from stunting, anemia, brain problems, and lack of concentration, and may even develop mental retardation.
Famine also affects fetuses in the womb. How can a pregnant Palestinian woman who cannot find a loaf of bread deliver food to her fetus? This means that the possibility of her and her fetus suffering from health problems is very high.
The danger also faces the elderly and those with chronic diseases who need healthy food in certain quantities and qualities that are not available under war conditions, and therefore their lives are in great danger.
Why do residents of the southern Gaza Strip complain about canned food?
Many Gazans complain about the poor quality of all types of canned goods distributed to them in what are locally called “aid coupons,” whether in terms of taste, poor quality of the product, or the fact that they are close to expiring. They even say that what is given to them is rejected by cats and dogs, as it is made with little meat and a lot of food. Starch, soy and other unhealthy ingredients.
The consumption of these canned foods by the residents of the south of the Gaza Strip is no less dangerous to human health than the famine that afflicts the residents of the north. Those in the north of the Gaza Strip can recover over time and gain health and weight lost as a result of the scarcity of food. As for canned foods, which now represent the basis of the food of the residents of the south in all its forms, It contains large amounts of sodium and preservatives, the traces of which remain in the body and are stored and difficult to get rid of in the future. It poses a greater risk to the liver, which performs 5,000 functions.
The reality is this bad. What does the near future look like for the residents of Gaza?
Specialists warn that the Gaza Strip is on the verge of a health catastrophe and a large number of diseases in a short period that will not exceed the summer month. The complications of the current health and living reality will appear in a serious manner, especially for thousands of pregnant women who will give birth soon, because their newborns are at risk of being born with deformities or mental problems. Behavioral, and over time they may face difficulties in growth, weak immunity, and the inability to resist diseases.
Source: Al Jazeera