Palestinian mother fears for her triplets' lives amid acute shortage of food, medicine

GAZA, Palestine

Palestinian mother Naziha Avad, who had to move from Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza to the south due to ongoing Israeli attacks, is concerned about her triplets fighting for their lives due to acute shortage of food and medicines.

The triplets, named Melek, Hidir, and Mustafa, are malnourished and have lost significant weight.

The Israeli army raided Al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical facility in the territory that houses thousands of patients and displaced people, on March 18.

Israel first raided the Al-Shifa Hospital last November, arguing that the Palestinian group Hamas used it as a command center.

According to Gaza’s government media office, more than 250 Palestinians have been killed and injured in the Israeli raid on the facility.

Speaking to an Anadolu, 44-year-old Avad recounted walking from northern to southern Gaza with her children, saying: "Due to inadequate nutrition, my triplets Melek, Hidir, and Mustafa were suffering, and we had to leave Shifa Hospital in Gaza City to go to the south of Gaza Strip."

The Palestinian mother said for now, they are sharing a tent with another displaced family until they find a new place to shelter.

Expressing her concern for her triplets' lives, the desperate mother stressed that they are awaiting urgent assistance.

She appealed for food and medical care for her children to recover, emphasizing the dire conditions they are facing.

Highlighting the "catastrophic" living conditions in the northern Gaza Strip, Avad indicated that Israel's siege renders access to food very challenging, causing malnutrition.

Besides targeting civilian settlements, hospitals, schools, and shelters where displaced Palestinians seek refuge, Israel has also prevented humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip, resulting in a humanitarian catastrophe for its 2.3 million population.

Israel has waged a deadly military offensive on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border attack by Hamas in which some 1,200 Israelis were killed.

More than 32,200 Palestinians have since been killed and over 74,500 injured amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

International organizations, including UN agencies, have called for a cease-fire in Gaza and increased humanitarian aid access to address the medical shortages, hunger, thirst, and hygiene deficiencies leading to diseases in Gaza.

UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees stated on March 10 that "hunger is everywhere" in Gaza.

According to the latest data from Gaza's Health Ministry, 27 people have died from malnutrition and dehydration in the Gaza Strip due to Israel's blockade, which has caused a massive "humanitarian disaster."

The Israeli war has pushed 85% of Gaza’s population into internal displacement amid acute shortages of food, clean water, and medicine, while 60% of the enclave's infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel in Istanbul