Standing Tall: Al-Khubayza’s Lifeline Amid Gaza’s Famine Crisis
Watan-The influential Palestinian boy, “Aboud,” appeared in a new video clip, speaking about how the plant “Al-Khubayza” stood by the people of Gaza more than the Arab countries.
In the video, “Aboud” was seen holding the “Al-Khubayza” plant, saying, “This plant must be recorded in history because it stood with the Palestinian cause more than many countries.”
He added that despite the siege and famine suffered by the people of northern Gaza, it doesn’t mean they easily obtain “Al-Khubayza”. He explained that “Al-Khubayza” is a wild plant adopted in border areas.
He clarified that obtaining this plant exposes their lives to danger, even to the point of death. Yet, despite the siege and famine, they have started using “Al-Khubayza” instead of many other foods.
The residents of Gaza, especially in the northern areas, are facing a real famine risk according to international organizations. Palestinians cry out in hunger amidst the ruins of their homeland, where bread has become a dream for them to feed their children.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza had announced the martyrdom of seven children in hospitals due to drought and malnutrition amid the worsening famine crisis in the besieged enclave. The United Nations warned that a quarter of Gaza’s population is just one step away from famine.
ناشط فلسطيني: نبتة الخبيزة هاي لازم تتسجل في التاريخ لأنها وقفت معنا بمجاعتنا أكتر من كتير دول.#غزة_تموت_جوعاً pic.twitter.com/QiDhZkwnpp
— نون بوست (@NoonPost) February 27, 2024
The ministry emphasized that drought and malnutrition will claim the lives of thousands of children and pregnant women in Gaza.
The Deadly Hunger in Gaza
The Ministry of Health called on international institutions to conduct a comprehensive medical survey in various shelter locations across the Gaza Strip to monitor and treat those affected by drought and malnutrition and prevent the humanitarian catastrophe.
In a related context, prominent officials at the United Nations warned the Security Council that thousands of civilians in Gaza are facing the danger of starving to death.
The director of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told the Security Council that at least 576,000 people in Gaza, or a quarter of the population, are just one step away from famine.
He confirmed that one out of every six children under the age of two in northern Gaza suffers from severe malnutrition, while almost all residents of the Strip rely on insufficient humanitarian food aid just to survive.
Meanwhile, Carl Skau, Deputy Director of the World Food Program, reported that Gaza is witnessing the worst level of child malnutrition anywhere in the world. He added that if nothing changes, famine is imminent in northern Gaza.
He pointed out that without safe and wide-ranging access to aid, relief workers cannot do their job on the scale required to address the acute humanitarian crisis engulfing Gaza.
