Israel's Plan for Gaza City Occupation: A Humanitarian Crisis in the Making

The Israeli government's approval of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan for the military occupation of Gaza City is a catastrophic decision that will exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. The plan, which would plunge an already devastated population into deeper despair, would lead to further displacement, famine, disease, and mass displacement. The Israeli military presence would block aid, deprive people of food, medicine, and basic survival supplies, and push child malnutrition and mortality to even higher levels.

Key Takeaways:

• The Israeli military occupation of Gaza City would displace approximately 800,000 residents and increase killings, with more than 61,000 people already killed and thousands remaining unaccounted for.
• The existing occupation has already led to the destruction of entire neighbourhoods, resulting in mountains of hazardous rubble, contaminated water and soil, and destroyed farmland.
• Over 17,000 children have been killed, and roughly 33,000 injured since the start of the onslaught, with at least 12,000 children under five suffering acute malnutrition.
• The Israeli military presence would further block aid, depriving people of food, medicine, and basic survival supplies, and exacerbate the collapse of the already fragile health system.
• Since March 2, Israel has blocked humanitarian aid, leaving millions of dollars worth of food, medicine, water, and shelter supplies stranded in warehouses across Jordan and Egypt.
• The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has been replaced by a system that provides only a trickle of aid each day, resulting in horrific scenes of starving people being shot dead while queuing for bread.
• The international community, including the EU and US administrations, has been accused of repeated inaction and complicity in the humanitarian crisis.
• The EU needs to wake from its paralysis and take meaningful action, including isolating Israel and implementing immediate sanctions.
• The deadlocked humanitarian aid situation demands the immediate reopening of all border crossings and unrestricted flow of aid to reach those who need it most.

Statistics:

• 61,000 people have lost their lives in the conflict
• 17,000 children have been killed, and 33,000 injured
• 12,000 children under five are suffering acute malnutrition
• 20,000 children are permanently maimed, having lost limbs in the brutal bombings
• 1,500 people have been shot dead while queuing for bread
• More than 25 child deaths occur daily (the equivalent of an entire classroom)
• 20,000 children are orphaned
• Millions of dollars worth of aid supplies have been left stranded in warehouses across Jordan and Egypt

Sources:

• Balfe, K. (2023) Israel's plan for Gaza City occupation: A humanitarian crisis in the making. [Source not explicitly provided, assume article is from 2023]
• ActionAid Ireland (2023) Gaza Humanitarian Crisis. [Source not explicitly provided, assume article is from 2023]
• [Please note that I was unable to verify the exact date of the article as it is not explicitly provided in the original text. The dates I added (2023) are assumed to be correct but may not be accurate.]