Hungry Palestinians for north Gaza dey find food, dem don seal dem off from aid for one month by Israeli siege

Israel With almost no food wey dem allow enta di northern most part of Gaza for di past month,  plenty thousands of Palestinians wey dey under Israeli siege dey ration di last lentils and flour to survive.

As bombardment dey pound around dem, some dey talk say dem dey risk di life as dem dey waka go find cans of food for di rubble of destroyed homes.

Thousands don waka comot from di area, hungry and thin, enta Gaza City, wia dem find di situation no too beta.

One hospital dey report say dem don see thousands of pikin wey dey suffer from malnutrition.

One nutritionist talk say she don treat one pregnant woman wey dey waste away at just 40 kilograms (88 pounds).

“We dey starve us to force us comot from our homes,” na wetin Mohammed Arqouq talk

Which di family of eight dey determined to stay for di north, dey manage Israel’s siege.

“We go die here for our homes.”

Medical workers dey warn say hunger don dey spiral to serious level under one month siege wey Israeli military don put for north Gaza.

Wey don dey carry out serious campaign since October start, dem talk say dem dey root out militants.

Hamas, wey still dey hold hostages inside Gaza, don regroup for di area and don dey carry out hit-and-run attacks from tunnels and bombed buildings.

Di military don block di area with checkpoints, dey order residents make dem comot.

Many Palestinians dey fear say Israel wan depopulate di north for long term.

On Friday, experts wey dey for panel wey dey monitor food security talk say famine dey come for di north or e fit don dey happen already.

Di desperation dey grow as di deadline dey near next week for di 30-day ultimatum wey Biden administration give Israel.

Make dem increase di level of humanitarian assistance wey dem fit allow enta Gaza or risk possible restrictions on U.S. military funding.

Di U.S. talk say Israel suppose allow minimum of 350 trucks every day wey dey carry food and odir supplies.

Israel don fall far short. For October, 57 trucks every day enta Gaza on average, according to figures from Israel military agency wey dey oversee aid entry, wey dem dey call COGAT.

For di first week of November, di average na 81 every day.

Di U.N. dey put di number even lower 37 trucks every day since di beginning of October.

Dem talk say Israeli military operations and general lawlessness dey often stop dem from collecting supplies, wey leave hundreds of truckloads stranded for di border.

U.S. State Department spokesman Matdiw Miller talk say Israel don make some progress by announcing di opening of new crossing into central Gaza and approving new delivery routes.

But e talk say Israel suppose do more. “E no just enough to open new roads if more humanitarian assistance no dey pass through those roads,” e talk.

Israeli forces don dey hammer towns like Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and Jabaliya refugee camp.

Witnesses dey report say intense fighting dey happen between troops and militants.

“Small food don reach Gaza City, but as of Thursday, nothing don enta di towns wey dey far north for 30 days.”

“Even as estimated 70,000 pipo still dey dire, na so Louise Wateridge, wey be spokesperson for di U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, talk from Gaza City.”

Di government don accept for late October say dem no allow aid enta Jabaliya bicos of military “operational constraints” as dem respond to petition wey Israeli human rights groups bring.

On Saturday, COGAT talk say dem allow 11 trucks of food and supplies enta Beit Hanoun and Jabaliya.

But Alia Zaki, wey be spokesperson for di WFP, talk say Israeli soldiers for checkpoint force di convoy to offload di food before e fit reach di shelters for Beit Hanoun.

E no clear wetin happen to di supplies afta dat.

Palestinians for di north tell di Associated Press say dem dey struggle every day to find food, water and safety, as strikes dey destroy buildings, sometimes dey kill whole families.

Arqouq talk say e dey go out at night to search bombed buildings: “Sometimes you go find half-empty package of flour, canned food and lentils.”

“Him family dey depend on help from pipo wey dey shelter for Jabaliya school,” e talk

“but di food self dey finish.”

“We be like dog and cat wey dey find diir food for di rubble,” na wetin Um Saber, wey be widow, talk.

She talk say she and her six pikin dem gatz run comot from school wey turn shelter for Beit Lahiya wen Israel strike am.

Now dem dey live for her fadir-in-law house, dey stretch small supply of lentils and pasta with 40 oda pipo, mostly women and children.

Ahmed Abu Awda, wey be 28-year-old papa of three wey dey live with 25 relatives for one house for Jabaliya, talk say dem dey chop lentils with bread every day, dey ration am to make sure say children fit eat.

“Sometimes we no dey chop at all,” e talk.

Lubna, wey be 38-year-old mama of five, leave food behind wen she dey run comot as strike and drone fire dey hit di street for Jabaliya.

“We come out by miracle, she talk from Beit Lahiya, wia dem dey stay.”

She talk say make dem no use her family name bicos she dey fear for her safety.

“Her husband dey find flour from destroyed houses afta Israeli forces come out for near Kamal Adwan hospital,” she talk.

“E don spoil, she talk, so dem dey sift am first. Her small pikin, Selina, dey look very thin and bony,” Lubna talk.

Surrender or starve

Di offensive don raise fear for Palestinians say Israel wan empty northern Gaza and hold am long term under surrender-or-starve plan wey former generals propose.

Di Israeli military don deny say dem no receive such orders, but di government no don deny di plan outright.

Witnesses dey report say Israeli troops dey go building-to-building, dey force pipo make dem comot go Gaza City.

On Thursday, di Israeli military don order new evacuations from plenty Gaza City neighborhoods, dey raise di possibility of ground assault for dire.

Di U.N. talk say about 14,000 displaced Palestinians dey shelter for dire.

“Food and supply don stretch for plenty pipo wey dey Gaza City, too.”

“Plenty of di city don flat bicos of months of Israeli bombardment and shelling.”

“Dr. Rana Soboh, wey be nutrition specialist for Gaza City Patient Friend Benevolent Hospital,” talk say she dey see about 350 cases of moderate to severe acute malnutrition every day, most from di north but also from Gaza City.

“Di bone for dia chest dey show, di eyes dey come out,” she talk, and plenty of dem dey get wahala to concentrate.

“You go repeat something many times, so dem fit understand wetin we dey talk.”

She talk say one 32-year-old woman dey lose weight for her third month of pregnancy wen dem weigh am, she be only 40 kilograms (88 pounds).

“We dey suffer, we dey face di ghost of hunger wey dey hover for Gaza, Soboh talk.

One problem wey don dey long.

Even before dem start di siege for di north, Patient Friend hospital don see plenty pikin wey dey suffer from malnutrition more than 4,780 for September compare to 1,100 for July, Dr Ahmad Eskiek wey dey oversee hospital operations talk.

Soboh talk say staff dey receive calls from Beit Lahiya and Jabaliya wey dey beg for help: “Wetín we go fit do? We no get anything.”

She don work for Kamal Adwan Hospital for di north but she run come with her family go Gaza City.

Now dem dey stay with 22 pipo for her uncle two-bedroom apartment.

Thursday, she chop small bread for breakfast and later she chop yellow lentils.

“As winter rain dey come, new pipo dey set up tent anywia dem fit.”

About 1,500 pipo dey for one U.N. school wey don already damage well well from strike wey fit collapse any moment, UNRWA spokesperson Wateridge talk.

“As toilet don spoil, pipo dey try find corner for classroom make dem use, dey leave waste “dey flow down di walls of di school,” she talk.

Oda pipo for Gaza City dey move enta di rubble of buildings, dey hang tarps between layers of collapsed concrete, she talk. “E be like di carcass of a city,” she talk.

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