Hungry Gazans eat grass in the absence of relief aid
As the UN Security Council demands an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and fears of famine increase, hungry civilians in the Strip search for wild green hibiscus because there is nothing else edible.
This is once again a reminder of the suffering of the population in the Palestinian Strip during the war that has been raging for more than 5 months that followed the October 7 attack in Israel, when Hamas militants killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages, according to Israeli statistics.
That attack sparked a violent response from Israel, which launched air strikes and bombing in Gaza, killing more than 32,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities in the Strip. It is the worst conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which runs the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian Maryam Al-Attar said: “All our lives, even during previous wars, we have not eaten hibiscus.”
She added that her daughters asked her to eat bread, and she felt sad and broken in her heart for them.
She added that she cannot find a piece of bread for them, and that they currently only find bread, indicating that they may not find it in the future because they will run out.
Palestinians suffer at a time when they should be fasting during the month of Ramadan, like millions of other Muslims around the world who enjoy large Iftar meals with their families and watch special television programmes.
Umm Muhammad said that hunger has consumed them and they have nothing to eat, explaining that they want to eat vegetables, fish and meat, noting that they fast on an empty stomach and can no longer fast because they feel dizzy from hunger. She added that they have nothing to help the body resist.
The Integrated International Classification for Food Security (IPC), which monitors global hunger rates, reported on March 18 that Gaza is on the brink of famine, which is likely to occur by May in northern Gaza and could spread across the Strip by July, according to the agency. Reuters News.
Fears are growing that the hibiscus will only provide temporary relief at a time when uncertainty over aid delivery is deepening, while mediators seek to narrow the gaps between Israel and Hamas regarding the terms of a ceasefire and the release of hostages.
An Israeli government spokesman said today (Monday) that Israel will stop working with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip, which is the largest relief agency in Gaza ever, accusing the agency of perpetuating the conflict.
Israel claimed in January that 12 of UNRWA’s 13,000 employees in Gaza participated in the October 7 attack. The Israeli accusations prompted many donor countries to suspend their funding to the agency.
UNRWA dismissed some employees, saying it acted to protect the agency’s ability to provide humanitarian aid, and the United Nations opened an independent internal investigation.
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