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A teenager searching for sustenance and a man suffering from prolonged malnutrition are among the individuals who have tragically died in Gaza within the past week.
On Thursday, the Hamas-run health ministry reported two additional fatalities attributed to malnutrition in the preceding 24 hours. This comes as aid organizations are voicing concerns that the Israeli siege of Gaza is precipitating “mass starvation” across the territory.
Conversely, an Israeli government spokesperson refuted these claims, asserting that Hamas is responsible for instigating the food shortage and misappropriating aid.
Amidst UN warnings that humanitarian conditions in Gaza are deteriorating at an “accelerating” rate, and the World Health Organization’s assessment that at least 10% of Gazans are acutely malnourished, the BBC has spoken with residents about their loved ones lost in the past week.
Nineteen-year-old Abdullah Omar Jendeia was killed on Sunday, July 20th, while attempting to secure food, according to his sister, Nadreen.
The family had been residing in their mother’s damaged residence in al-Sabra, situated in central Gaza.
“He was eager to go and find some food that day,” Nadreen recounted.
“I advised him to simply consume the remaining lentils we had, but he declined.”
She explained that at 16:00 (13:00 GMT), Abdullah departed the house to walk over 5km (3.1 miles) north to reach a weekly aid truck distribution point, hoping to obtain a few kilograms of flour to feed the family. He was accompanied by two of his brothers and some in-laws.
Later that night, at approximately 23:00, one of his brothers, Mahmoud, contacted Nadreen to inform her that while they were waiting near the aid truck, Israeli soldiers had suddenly opened fire upon them.
The incident occurred in the Netzarim Corridor, a military zone that effectively separates the northern and southern regions of the Gaza Strip.
Mahmoud relayed to Nadreen that Abdullah had been killed, while he and the other brother sustained injuries.
“He was a joy to be around, kind-hearted, and always fun,” she reflected, reminiscing about afternoon walks she and Abdullah would take on the beach in Gaza during their younger years.
“He was passionate about football and sports.”
Nadreen stated that Abdullah used to assist local grocers, helping them carry fruits and vegetables, and “harbored aspirations of launching a new business venture after the conflict.”
In response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) asserted that it was conducting operations to dismantle Hamas’s military capabilities and was taking feasible precautions to minimize harm to civilians.
The IDF stated that it could “better address your query if you were able to provide coordinates” for the location of the incident.
Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defense agency reported that Israeli fire resulted in the deaths of 93 individuals and injuries to dozens more across Gaza that day, primarily near aid distribution points.
Regarding a specific incident in northern Gaza, the Israeli military stated that troops fired warning shots at a crowd “to remove an immediate threat” but contested the reported number of fatalities.
Ahmed Alhasant, 41, passed away on Tuesday, July 22nd.
His brother, Yehia Alhasant, attributed his death to “malnutrition – day after day, he was getting more and more poorly.”
Yehia explained that his brother’s health began to decline after Israel imposed a blockade on aid entering Gaza in March. While Israel has permitted some aid into the territory since May, aid organizations maintain that it is insufficient to meet the needs of the population.
For three months, Ahmed, who also suffered from diabetes, was unable to obtain adequate food or drink, subsisting on small amounts of bread and occasional canned goods, Yehia stated.
Consequently, his weight plummeted from 80kg (12 stone 8lbs) to 35kg, and his health deteriorated rapidly, Yehia said.
“His speech became slurred, and at times, we could barely understand him,” Yehia recounted.
Ahmed’s cousin, Refaat Alhasant, said that the family took him to the hospital, but “they would tell us ‘he needs food not medicines’. So we took him back home.”
Yehia shared that Ahmed, who worked as a television satellite installer and was an avid football fan, “passed away peacefully” at his home in the city of Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.
“He had a strong personality and was one of the kindest people you could ever meet,” Yehia added.
Mohamed Kullab, 29, was killed in an air strike on July 22nd, according to his brother-in-law.
Amar Ragaida stated that Mohamed had been resting in his tent in a camp for displaced Palestinians in the al-Qadesiya area of western Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, when an air strike struck the area between 17:00 and 18:00 local time.
“He was on his own. We heard that he was killed a few hours after the bombing when some people called his sister and informed her about his death,” said Amar.
Amar said he spoke to Mohamed the day before he died – they bumped into each other while looking for aid.
“He told me, ‘don’t go on your own, I will try and get you some flour’. The next day, he was dead.”
Mohamed leaves behind a sister and a younger brother who completely depended on him, says Amar.
“Kullab was a respectful young guy, who was full of life. He wouldn’t engage himself in any unnecessary issues and everyone around him loved him,” he said.
In response, the IDF issued a similar statement to that given for Abdullah, stating that it took “feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm” and that it would need co-ordinates of the location where he died to look into his case any further.
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