Hankyoreh newspaper

2.3 million people face survival crisis as only one power plant stops
UN only has enough capacity to provide 12 days’ worth of food for 180,000 people

A security guard in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, runs into a hospital holding a baby injured in an Israeli military bombing on the 11th (local time). Gaza City/AFP Yonhap News

The only power plant in the Gaza Strip, Palestine, which is completely blockaded by Israel, stopped operating on the 11th (local time) due to lack of fuel. In the aftermath, drinking water supply and hospital operations were disrupted, and all 2.3 million residents faced a survival crisis. Residents are lamenting, “There is no place to escape, no place to escape.” Al Jazeera and other broadcasters reported that the Gaza Strip Energy Agency issued a statement that day, saying, “The only power plant in Gaza ceased operation at 2 p.m. that day.” The Energy Agency expressed concern that “the shutdown of the power plant will plunge the entire Gaza Strip into darkness and make it impossible to provide essential services that depend on electricity,” and added, “Such a disaster situation will push all Gaza residents into a humanitarian crisis.” .

■ Doctors Without Borders: “Healthcare system will collapse this week”

The Energy Agency said Israel’s retaliation for Hamas’ surprise attack was “the worst crime in modern history of mass abuse of defenseless civilians” and urged the international community to take action to stop “crimes against humanity and genocide.” Israel has been building a separation wall between the Gaza Strip and Israel and restricting the passage of residents. After the surprise attack by Hamas on the 7th, the passage of residents was completely banned. Then, on the 9th, a complete blockade was declared, including cutting off electricity, gas, water, and food supplies. The Associated Press reported that hospitals were in a serious crisis as power supply was completely cut off. Mathias Kenneth, a field worker for Doctors Without Borders, said Al Shifa Hospital, the largest hospital in Gaza, only had three days’ worth of fuel left for power generation. He added that both hospitals run by Doctors Without Borders in Gaza are running low on medical equipment, including surgical equipment and antibiotics. Ghassan Abu Sitta, a reconstructive surgeon at the hospital, said there were 50 patients waiting for surgery. “We are already over our limit,” he said. He feared that the health care system would completely collapse by the end of the week. The Red Crescent, a relief organization, predicted that generators at other hospitals would also stop operating due to lack of fuel within the next five days. Tamara Alifai, spokeswoman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), said that as many as 250,000 people are flocking to schools built by the United Nations in search of refuge, and that relief facilities are already full. It is reported that the UN currently only has the capacity to provide food and water to approximately 180,000 people for 12 days. “With roads blocked, phone lines down, and communication networks blocked by bombings, it’s hard to understand what’s going on,” said Jennifer Austin, the relief agency’s deputy field director. “It’s unprecedented to rely on the hands of other refugees to help refugees.” “We were faced with a situation where there was no one,” he said. Reuters reported that the fear among residents who flocked to the school reached a peak, with some staying awake outside for fear that the building would collapse due to bombing. Yamen Hamad, 35, a mother of four, said, “I have lived through wars and raids in the past, but I have never seen anything as terrible as this war.”

■ The family of a pregnant woman who died after avoiding danger

Allah al-Kafarneh, 31, who lived in the northern area close to the Israeli border, complained that there was nowhere safe. He said that on the 7th, he and his family, including his pregnant wife and his father, went to a refugee camp on the beach farther from the border, but that place was also bombed, so they had to flee again, and all died in the bombing on the 10th. He lamented, “I faced death while avoiding danger.” The United Nations and Egypt called for the opening of channels necessary for humanitarian aid. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said the supply of vital essentials to save lives must be allowed, adding, “There is an immediate need for immediate and unhindered access.” “Citizens must be protected,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary-General. “I hope there will be no mass exodus of Gaza residents,” he said. An Egyptian security official said convoys of food and fuel were waiting near the Lafah checkpoint linking Gaza and Egypt, but were unable to enter. Senior Reporter Shin Ki-seop marishin@hani.co.kr
#Electricity #Gaza #completely #cut #off.. #hospital #days #worth #fuel
2023-10-12 02:37:29

Prime Minister Netanyahu speaks with Biden
“We are entering” Ground troops announced
300,000 reserve forces mobilized, countdown to general offensive
Hamas: “Executes one hostage at a time during attack”

Flames and smoke are rising from Gaza City in the Gaza Strip, which was hit by an airstrike by the Israeli military on the 9th. Gaza City/EPA Yonhap News

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gathered 100,000 troops around the Gaza Strip and said, “Hamas will experience something terrible.” “The military operation has just begun,” he said. There were also reports that he had conveyed his intention to deploy ground troops to the Gaza Strip to U.S. President Joe Biden. With Israel’s full-scale retaliatory attack seemingly imminent, Hamas threatened to “kill the hostages” if the attack took place. Prime Minister Netanyahu met with authorities in the southern region attacked by Hamas on the 9th (local time) and said, “Hamas will experience difficult and terrible things in the future,” and added, “We are in the midst of a military operation. “We are already operational and have just begun,” he said. Then, in a televised speech on the same day, he criticized Hamas as being like the Islamic State (IS), an extremist Islamic militant group, and barbarians, and declared, “Israel will win this war.” American internet media Axios reported on the 9th that Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a phone call with President Biden on the 8th, “We must enter. It was reported that he said he could not negotiate now and that he would send ground troops to the Gaza Strip. Instead of requesting a reconsideration of the policy, President Biden asked what he would do if a second front was formed due to an attack by the Lebanese armed political faction Hezbollah, and Prime Minister Netanyahu responded that he was preparing, the media reported. After this phone call, the United States announced its full support policy for Israel. Earlier in the day, Israel issued an order to cut off water and electricity supply to the Gaza Strip and deployed up to 100,000 Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops to the surrounding area. The Israeli Ministry of Defense then ordered the mobilization of 300,000 reserve forces (Israel’s total population of 9.3 million), the largest number since the founding of the State in 1948. Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said on the 10th, “We will change the paradigm. “It’s not a reciprocal response where if the opponent hits, I hit as much,” he said. The Israeli military announced on social media X (formerly Twitter) that it had bombed 1,350 locations in the Gaza Strip. As Israel’s deployment of ground troops was imminent, Hamas responded by saying it would kill about 150 hostages taken through a large-scale surprise attack on the 7th. According to the Associated Press, Abu Ubaida, spokesman for the Al-Qassam Brigades, a military organization of Hamas, issued a statement on the 9th, saying, “If you target our people without prior warning, it is regrettable that you will harm the civilian hostages we are holding.” “We will execute them one by one,” he warned. If the hostages are actually executed, international public opinion toward Hamas is expected to deteriorate sharply. As the armed conflict enters its fourth day, the number of victims is increasing. The Israeli military reported that more than 1,000 people were killed in Israel. The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that the death toll from airstrikes reached 830 and the number of injured reached 4,250. The World Health Organization (WHO) appealed to open a humanitarian corridor so that civilians in Gaza can obtain even the bare minimum of daily necessities. Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, criticized on the 10th, “The complete blockade of the Gaza Strip is a violation of international law and human rights law.” The Israeli military said on the 10th that it had regained control of the southern region that had been attacked by Hamas, and that it had discovered the bodies of about 1,500 Hamas members in the area. Reporter Jo Ki-won cho@hani.co.kr Washington/Lee Bon-young correspondent ebon@hani.co.kr
#Israeli #troops #Gaza.. #Hamas #threatens #execute #hostages
2023-10-10 13:11:12