Gaza Floods Present Humanitarian Crisis (But Not *That* Kind)
Yes, 'fresh winter rains' are indeed creating a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where a two-week-old infant, Muhammad Khalil Abu Al-Khair, reportedly died of hypothermia. Al-Monitor helpfully notes most buildings are 'destroyed or damaged by two years of war between Israel and Hamas.' Conveniently omitted? The 'war' involves 2,000-pound bombs from F-16s, provided by U.S. taxpayers. Indeed,
President Biden recently approved a $26 billion aid package to Israel, including specific provisions for military hardware, while simultaneously cutting aid to UNRWA, the primary relief agency on the ground. One might wonder if the 'weather' would be quite so devastating if Gaza still had homes, hospitals, and basic infrastructure capable of withstanding anything more than a light drizzle. How
very tragic that the weather is so inconveniently timed. It appears the 'war-scarred' descriptor covers everything, from the deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure to the natural meteorological phenomena that now exacerbate a deliberately engineered humanitarian disaster. Perhaps next, they’ll report on how Gaza's lack of electricity makes it difficult to dry laundry after the 'natural'
flooding.