'Our children are dying slowly,' says Gazan father grappling with hunger
World
Haw said he waited for hours to get a container of lentil soup for his family
JABALIA, Gaza (Reuters) – Palestinian father Mahmoud al-Haw stood among tens of people crowding in front of a soup kitchen in Gaza’s Jabalia, scrambling to get a plateful of soup that he said was barely enough to feed his hungry family.
The 39-year-old cares for his wife and four children, as well as his brother’s two children.
On Monday, Haw said he waited for hours to get a container of lentil soup for his family, which will be their breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
"Yesterday, we weren't lucky to feed our children," he added. "This is an ongoing issue... Our children are dying slowly".
The United Nations has received permission from Israel for about 100 more emergency aid trucks to enter Gaza, though the first supplies to have entered in weeks were still currently "under Israeli control" and subject to the last stage of checks, a spokesperson said on Tuesday.
International humanitarian experts have warned of looming famine in the Palestinian enclave of 2.3 million people and the growing outcry has pushed Israel to lift an 11-week total blockade on aid supplies.
Israel says it plans to intensify military operations against Hamas and to control the whole of Gaza, which has been devastated by an Israeli air and ground war since Hamas' cross-border attack on Israeli communities in October 2023.
Israel denies that Gaza is facing a hunger crisis. It has said its blockade is aimed in part at preventing Palestinian militants from diverting and seizing aid supplies. Hamas has denied doing so and accuses Israel of using starvation as a military tactic.
Israel's ground and air war has devastated coastal territory, displacing nearly all its 2.3 million residents and killing more than 53,000, according to Gaza health authorities.
The campaign began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israeli communities near Gaza's border in October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and seizing 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
