The director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Gaza Strip, Hossam Abu Safiya, via Al-Arabi, on Friday, sent a distress call to all international institutions to take the threat of famine in the Strip seriously.

According to Abu Safiya, symptoms of malnutrition have been recorded in more than 200 children in Gaza, and the north of the Strip, where there are no foodstuffs other than flour, is facing a humanitarian catastrophe and the specter of famine looms on the horizon.

A humanitarian food disaster

In detail, Hossam Abu Safia reiterated on Friday that the health system in the Gaza Strip is dilapidated and operating at a minimum, under difficult and harsh conditions as a result of the ongoing Israeli aggression on the Strip.

He explained that because of this, they are only counting cases of malnutrition, stressing that the health sector has no capacity to provide anything.

The director of Kamal Adwan Hospital explained to Al-Arabi that malnutrition requires a treatment program under the supervision of specialized countries and institutions such as UNICEF, the World Health Organization and others, in light of the siege imposed by Israel on the Palestinian people.

Abu Safiya continued: “We have called for and sent very important messages, but unfortunately we do not have a sufficient treatment to solve this crisis,” recalling that “among the very important treatments is the availability of food that contains all types of vegetables, meat, proteins, eggs, and fruits.”

Nothing but flour in the north

In this context, Abu Safiya revealed in his interview with Al-Arabi from Jabalia that there is no food available in northern Gaza except flour.

He added, "Very important elements are missing from the food basket, whether for children or adults. We are facing a catastrophe, and there are numbers of children arriving at Kamal Adwan Hospital who are suffering from malnutrition."

In this regard, he stated that at least 200 cases of children suffering from malnutrition had been monitored, sending a distress call to all concerned international and humanitarian institutions “to take what is happening seriously... Nearly 26 children have been martyred due to the siege.”

Sources: Al-Arabi