"Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on Palestine, has accused Israel of treating Palestinian lives as expendable, linking the hellish impact of a deadly winter storm in Gaza directly to the deliberate destruction of the enclave's infrastructure. Speaking to Al Jazeera Arabic on Tuesday as a deep weather depression pummelled the Gaza Strip, killing at least seven children, Albanese said the weather disaster had exposed the depth of Israel's disregard for civilian survival."
"It is shocking even for me sitting far away. Their lives seem like hell, Albanese said, reacting to testimonies of families sitting in mud and darkness as their makeshift shelters collapsed. We hear of family members searching for relatives buried under rubble because damaged buildings collapsed on top of them due to the intensity of the rain."
"James Elder, a spokesperson for UNICEF currently in Gaza City, confirmed that seven children had died as a result of cold temperatures. He stressed that these children did not die merely from the cold but also because a man-made shortage of food and medicine has left them with zero resilience. Children aged two or three have severely weakened immune systems, Elder told Al Jazeera, describing the situation as extreme misery."
Destruction of Gaza's infrastructure and an ongoing blockade left the enclave without fuel, cooking gas and essential supplies, severely weakening civilian resilience. A deep winter storm brought winds over 100 km/h, heavy rain and collapsing makeshift shelters, contributing to at least seven child deaths. Shortages of food, medicine and heating have left young children with compromised immune systems and extreme vulnerability. Families sat in mud and darkness and searched for relatives buried under rubble as damaged buildings collapsed. Blocked entry of fuel and aid and repeated rejections of assistance intensified the humanitarian emergency.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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