Gaza | Humanitarian Crisis Deepens

 

 

More than 213 Palestinians killed, including at least 61 children. Water, power and food are scarce; hospitals are overwhelmed and running low on medical supplies. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza deepens day by day.

 
 

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The most recent round of violence in the Middle East is entering its second week. So far, 17 hospitals and clinics have been damaged or destroyed in Gaza, cutting short medical aid and supplies. The sewage systems have been destroyed, sending wastewater into the streets. Resulting from the israeli attacks in Gaza, the water pipes have been broken, leaving around 800000 people short of water. Furthermore, the only covid test laboratory has been wrecked by an airstrike on Monday evening. 

 
 
 
 
 
 

More than 58.000 Palestinian citizens have been displaced by Israeli air strikes, which destroyed around 450 buildings, the UN aid agency said on Tuesday. Many schools have been forced to close, leaving thousands of students without education. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated that around 42.000 people are sheltering in schools belonging to The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees along the Gaza Strip.

The most pressing need for the people that have been displaced and lost their homes is food. The UN's World Food Programme has  announced the immediate assistance to 51.000 people in Gaza, through electronic food vouchers. Even though there are shops opened that still have and sell food, the lack of it in the near future is a worry for many. 

Fuel shortages, and the damage to electricity supply lines that resulted from the aerial bombardments led to a decrease in the capacity of providing electricity to the citizens in Gaza. Most families are receiving at most three to four hours of electricity per day, according to Gaza's power company. 

 
 
 
 
 
 

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is beyond imagination, and it adds up to the situation that the Gaza Strip was under from before the conflict. The region was under a blockage for many years. The blockade resulted with Gaza having the world’s highest unemployment rate, and more than half of its population living below the poverty line, according to a report made by the United Nations.

 

FASHION TAKES A STAND

Cult Gaia's popular luxury bags have been taken off the racks in many Major Luxury retailers in the Middle East. Harvey Nichols Kuwait, Galeries Lafayette Doha, and Bloomingdale's Middle East have announced earlier this week on social media that they would no longer sale the brand. 

The decision of the retailers comes after the Cult Gaia's founder, Jasmin Larian, posted on her Instagram account what was deemed by many social media users to be Anti-Palestine. Her post, shared a message along with the Israeli flag and the phrase "I support Israel's right to defend itself". Even though after the backlash Larian explained her post, the decision of the retailers was already made. 

 

WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP 

Given the situation and the crisis that people in Gaza are living during this time, there are several organizations to which people can donate, and help alleviate the suffering from Gaza's citizens. Here, we listed some: 

 
 

+  Words: Leila Salinas, Luxiders Magazine 

Journalist | Berlin-based 

Connect with her on LinkedIn or Instagram (@leisalinas)