Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem explained in a statement that “the continued deaths of children and the elderly due to the cold, the collapse of bombed and destroyed homes, and the spread of diseases confirm that the Gaza Strip is still experiencing the most horrific forms of genocide as a result of the tight Israeli siege.”
He added that the international system's inability to provide relief, despite repeated appeals, comes in light of the continued Israeli blockade imposed on the sector.
Qassem called on the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the international community to “take urgent action to provide relief to Gaza and break the Israeli siege,” and not to allow the Israeli right-wing government to continue “exterminating the Palestinian people” in the Gaza Strip.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Civil Defense in Gaza announced the death of 4 Palestinians as a result of partial collapses of buildings damaged by the Israeli occupation army’s bombing during the war of extermination, due to heavy rains and strong winds that have been hitting the sector since Monday evening, at a time when the suffering of hundreds of thousands of displaced people living in homes threatened with collapse or in tents lacking the most basic means of protection is worsening.
This coincides with escalating health warnings, as the director of Al-Shifa Medical Complex, Dr. Muhammad Abu Salmiya, said on Monday that the sector is witnessing the spread of respiratory viruses, likely mutated strains of influenza or coronavirus, that are killing Palestinians due to the collapse of immunity as a result of the starvation policy, amid a severe deficit in the health system.
Israel continues to prevent the entry of building materials and obstruct reconstruction, despite the ceasefire agreement that came into effect on October 10, which ended the war of extermination waged by the Israeli occupation since October 7, 2023, which resulted in the martyrdom of more than 71,000 Palestinians and the injury of more than 171,000, in addition to massive destruction that affected about 90% of the civilian infrastructure in the sector.
