HELPLESSNESS IN THE FACE OF CRIES OF PAIN

Civilians are the victims of wars, suffering the most in any armed conflict in any region. The innocent is always the fuel. This war must end , and clear mechanisms must be established to spare the innocent from the consequences of any fighting. All peace-loving nations should work to prevent further casualties, push for peace,  through peace alone. Wars are like fires, easy to ignite and difficult to extinguish. Those who enter a war without a plan are unlikely to find their way out. Those who start it without clear objectives end up becoming its target. America entered Iraq with one plan, toppling Saddam Hussein and replacing his Ba’athist regime with a puppet government. But they prepared for war not peace, setting major headlines for their goals without detailing plans for achieving them. As a result, they succeeded in entering but failed to stay or leave. This pattern has been repeated throughout history. Emperor Napoleon invaded Russia and saw his army perish in its freezing cold. Nazi leader Hitler conquered half of Europe and then broke against the walls of Stalingrad. In recent decades, Iraqi president Saddam Hussein occupied Kuwait followed by Iran, US president George W. Bush invaded Afghanistan, and Russian Vladimir Putin annexed parts of Ukraine. Each of them got entangled, drained their strength, and found no way out.

1. Most of the intensive care unit patients, who were on ventilators due to the lack of fuel and oxygen at the Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, have died 
2. The hospital, which is Gaza's largest, is grappling with severe shortage of basic necessities — no water and no electricity in the main buildings of the compound.
3. Surgical operations have come to a halt due to the lack of electricity. This has led to an increase in suffering, especially among children who are now facing severe intestinal infections, a direct consequence of the unavailability of clean water.
4. Israeli forces promised to provide food but the supply delivered was grossly insufficient, catering to for only 40% of those inside the hospital
5. More than two-thirds of Gaza’s 2 million inhabitants are now internally displaced
6. More than 40% of all housing units have been either destroyed or damaged
7. The enclave’s lack of fuel is hindering the provision of clean water. Every hour that passes with Israel preventing the provision of safe drinking water in the Gaza strip puts Gazans at risk of dying of thirst and diseases related to the lack of safe drinking water
8. Roughly 70% of people in Gaza are now drinking salinized and contaminated water. Raw sewage has also started flowing through the streets in some areas as UN waste disposal systems are also impacted by the fuel shortages.
9. Dehydration and waterborne diseases are now surging in Gaza due to salinized and polluted water consumption from unsafe sources . Coupled with the massive displacement of thousands of people in recent days, this is the perfect scenario for an epidemic that will only punish innocents, once again.
10. Disabled Palestinians struggle to survive: For Palestinians trying to escape the fighting in Gaza, living with disability can make their struggles even more dangerous. People who are deaf or blind are less likely to know about evacuation orders and cannot hear or see the strikes. Others with intellectual disabilities may be unable to communicate their whereabouts to relatives or rescue workers, while people with physical disabilities who rely on wheelchairs and other assistive devices are unable to navigate rubble, let alone walk miles south.
11. UNRWA shelters are accommodating far more people than their intended capacity. Overcrowding is leading to the spread of disease, including acute respiratory illness and diarrhea, raising environmental and health concerns. The overcrowding is affecting the Agency’s ability to deliver effective and timely services. 
12. At Al-Shifa Hospital, displaced children are left without any water or milk at the facility, a refuge for over 650 wounded people, 36 premature babies, 45 kidney patients and 5,000 displaced people.
13. People in Gaza are facing an “immediate possibility of starvation” as fuel shortages cripple food production and distribution in the enclave.
14. Supplies of food and water are practically non-existent in Gaza and only a fraction of what is needed is arriving through the borders. Only 10% of necessary food supplies has entered Gaza since the start of the war with fuel shortages severely impacting bread production as well as the distribution of essential humanitarian aid with aid trucks unable to reach their destination.