Gaza: The Human Toll

GAZA: THE HUMAN TOLL

Pres. Biden has humanitarian instincts and is worried about Arab-American votes in Michigan, so in his State of the Union speech on 3/7/24 he offered a gesture to starving Palestinians: the building of a pier by the US Army Corps of Engineers to be used to resupply Gaza by sea. However, his government resupplies Israel with weapons and blocks any effort toward a Gaza ceasefire in the UN Security Council, while the Palestinian death toll has passed 30,000.

Meanwhile, Gazans are starving and going without medical care due to Israeli blockades, while doing their best to keep from getting killed by Israeli bombardment and attacks by Israeli ground troops. “The UN has repeatedly said that a quarter of the population already faces starvation, while the entire population of 2.3 million lives with food shortages.” Of children under 5, “90% are affected by an infectious disease, including 70% with diarrhoea.” Malnourishment of children leads to a condition called wasting, “the slow depletion of all fat stores, then muscle, then body tissue.” If they recover, these children may suffer from physical and cognitive deficits for the rest of their lives.

Regarding medical care,”Doctors perform amputations without anaesthetic. For want of gauze they rip up their gowns. After surgery there is no water to wash the blood from their hands. Without sterilized equipment, hospitals spread disease rather than treat it.”

There must be pressure on elected US officials for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the end of arms shipments to Israel.

Sources: The Economist, 2/24/24, The Guardian, 2/27, 3/5, 3/6, 2024, The New York Times, 3 /9/24.