The government media office in the Gaza Strip issued an urgent appeal to all the free people of the world on Thursday, stating: “Save Gaza before it’s too late.”
“The humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip has reached an unprecedented level of severity, considering it a completely devastated area,” the appeal added.
Back to Donkeys
Alaa Mahmoud, a Gaza resident, told the Palestine Chronicle that the horse-drawn cart has again become the primary means of transportation in the Gaza Strip, replacing cars in the absence of fuel.
“Currently, the only means of transportation I have is my cart and donkey,” Mahmoud said.
Anas Musmah added, “The occupation controls Salah al-Din Street, and it can only be passed at specific times of the day, either by walking or on a horse-drawn cart. The occupation may target anyone on the street, as it has targeted and killed many of them.”
For his part, Khalil Al-Ghafari commented, “While the world is advancing in transportation, the occupation has returned Gaza to the Stone Age.”
No Way to Wash
The cutting off of electricity in Gaza has also resulted in an interruption of water deliveries to peoples’ homes. During the infrequent times that water is available, people fill jerry cans and cooking pots.
Hajjah Um Salah Haroun said, “All of us use the little available water by filling cooking pots and other vessels. We wash our clothes in cooking pots, wash our hands by placing water in dishes, and we take very short showers using water from the dishes. None of the taps have water, this is our reality.”
Cooking on an Open Fire
Huda Ismail told The Palestine Chronicle, “We have reverted to the past in how we bake our bread.”
“We light a fire, place a baking sheet on it, and make bread on it. Most of our bakeries were bombed and completely destroyed. It has been difficult to find any bread.”
“The process of making bread for people is extremely difficult. It mainly requires the availability of flour, which has largely run out, and it is not available in stores for us to buy,” Ismail continued, adding:
“We need to collect wood or cardboard from the streets to light the fire, a great effort made by all family members just to have some bread.”
Another Gazan, Hamza Rizka shared, “I spend a long time searching for wood and cardboard to give to my mother so that she can make some bread for our family. This involves a lot of risks, as the bombardment is continuous in all areas of the Gaza Strip.”
“Flour is very difficult to find, and we have enough for only a few days. We don’t know how we will manage after that. I hope the war ends immediately, and that we can again enjoy the basic necessities of life.”
Gaza Civil Defense Fights Numerous Odds to Keep Palestinians Alive – PHOTOS
(The Palestine Chronicle)
– Abdallah Aljamal is a Gaza-based journalist. He is a contributor for The Palestine Chronicle from the Gaza Strip. His email is abdallahaljamal1987@gmail.com
