Watan-Activists on social media have circulated a video clip of the famous preacher Othman Al-Khamees, in which he discusses the permissibility of consuming horse meat, following a painful incident witnessed in the Gaza Strip. A family was compelled to slaughter a horse in order to cook and eat its meat due to famine in northern Gaza.
In the circulated video, Al-Khamees addresses a question he received, asking, “Is it permissible to consume horse meat?” He responds saying, “Yes, it is permissible… Asmaa reported in Sahih Muslim (saying) we used to eat horse meat during the time of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.”
He added that it is permissible to eat horse meat, although some scholars have differed on this matter. However, the correct opinion is that there is no harm in it.
A family slaughtering a horse in Gaza
Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Gaza City, Ismail Al-Ghoul, published footage of a family slaughtering a horse at Al-Fallah School, which was previously targeted by the occupation.
Al-Ghoul stated that residents are rushing to that family to take whatever horse meat they can for consumption, amidst the severe famine affecting them.
Terrifying famine in Gaza
The people of northern Gaza are on the brink of a real famine that threatens those who survived the indiscriminate shelling by the occupation with death by starvation. Delivering aid and relief supplies to those in need has become extremely difficult.
This has exacerbated the humanitarian situation for citizens, as they are unable to obtain the bare necessities of life.
لجأ الأهالي في مدينة غزة لذبح حصان ليسدوا به جوع أطفالهم بعد فقدانهم لكل أنواع الطعام ووقف المساعدات
الفيديو الأن تلجرام 👇https://t.co/NTKCSJkjG9— إسماعيل الغول – Ismail Alghoul (@ismail_gh2) February 23, 2024
The residents of Gaza and the north have resorted to grinding animal feed to obtain the necessary flour for making bread and ensuring their survival. However, the stock of these grains is rapidly diminishing.
A UN report documenting the specter of famine in Gaza
A previous report by the United Nations indicated that with the specter of death and destruction looming over the Gaza Strip, families are doing everything they can to survive with what little remains of the necessities of life.
The report pointed out that famine is on the horizon as even the most basic essentials, such as edible food, safe water, and the simplest fuel supplies, are running out.
🎥طفل عمره 45 يوماً فقط مات من سوء التغذية و #المجاعة في #غزة! #احتفالنا_بيوم_التاسيس #انهيار_السوق_السوداء #اكبر_صفقه_استثمار_مباشر #غزه_الان pic.twitter.com/WIx2O4Tcgi
— وطن. يغرد خارج السرب (@watanserb_news) February 24, 2024
Meanwhile, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Michael Fakhri, accused Israel of seeking to collectively punish Palestinians by starving them, according to the Turkish Anadolu Agency.