(NewsNation) — Palestinians in Gaza are facing severe shortages of basic necessities and “nightmarish” conditions as Israel’s military campaign enters its twelfth month, a humanitarian worker said Sunday on NewsNation’s “Morning in America.”
“We’ve reached the point where we need everything,” said Bushra Khalidi, humanitarian policy lead at Oxfam, speaking from the West Bank. She described a dire situation where Gaza residents lack access to clean water, medical supplies and adequate nutrition.
According to Khalidi, Gazans have access to only 4.74 liters of water per day, three times less than the minimum requirement. The conflict has also created approximately 25,000 child amputees, who now struggle to evacuate during ongoing military operations.
“People that have amputations now because of the war and those traumatic injuries, they can’t flee, they can’t go anywhere. They’re just waiting for their fate,” Khalidi said.
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Restrictions on aid deliveries have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis. Khalidi said that aid workers in Gaza haven’t had access to fresh fruits, vegetables, or meat for weeks or months. Medical facilities are running short on essential supplies, including gauze and anesthetics needed for surgeries.
The conflict has also disrupted education, with children out of school for the entire year. Khalidi warned of long-term traumatic impacts that will affect “generations of children.”
Palestinian health authorities estimate the death toll in Gaza has reached 41,800, with 90,000 wounded since Israel’s offensive began following Hamas’s October 7th attack. The exact numbers remain difficult to verify due to widespread destruction and limited access to aid organizations.
Khalidi, who said her own home in Jerusalem’s Old City was forcibly entered by settlers in June, called for an immediate cease-fire to allow humanitarian organizations to conduct proper needs assessments and begin addressing the crisis.
“It’s going to take only years just to remove the rubble out of Gaza,” she said. “So imagine rehabilitating an entire civilian population.”
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What to know about the war
Protests have been taking place across the world since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war which erupted after Hamas and Islamic Jihad, two militant groups backed by Iran, carried out a devastating cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that killed 1,200 people in Israel and kidnapped 250 others.
The Israeli offensive in Gaza has caused widespread devastation and killed thousands, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
American officials and Israeli leaders are striving to discourage Iran and other neighboring countries from further escalating tensions in the region. However, the Palestinian issue is a powder keg among the Arab populace who believe that the Palestinians have been denied the promised two-state solution outlined in the Oslo Accords decades ago.
Hamas said its attack was in response to the continued Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, the blockade of the Gaza Strip, the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, threats to the status of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the plight of Palestinian refugees and prisoners.
On the Israeli side, there’s immense anger and a strong push to bring the remaining hostages back, a goal Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is committed to achieving through this military offensive.