Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The renewed total war against Palestinian civilians in Gaza waged by the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recreated the worst headlines of 2024, but this time no one is watching, as the deliberately-created Trump crises suck up all the oxygen in the news universe.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. reports that Israeli bombings of internal refugee shelters have killed scores in recent days, in a series of “mass casualty events.” They have to use the same terminology for the Israeli military now as they do for crazed shooters in American malls.
The Israelis have again chased people out of their tents and rubble-strewn former apartments, displacing 280,000 people in the past two weeks. That would be like rounding up all Americans in St. Louis, Mo. or Madison, Wi. and forcing them out of their homes into the wilderness outside the city, while making sure they had no food or medical supplies. The scale of the sadism beggars belief.
OCHA observes, “Gaza faces renewed risk of hunger and malnutrition as the full cargo blockade, now entering the second month, almost halts all flour distribution and shuts all subsidized bakeries. Children in Gaza bear the brunt of violence and displacement, which heighten the risk of family separation.”
No bakeries, no flour, no bread. And speaking of children . . .
Middle East Monitor writes,
“A new report has revealed that more than 39,000 children in Gaza have lost one or both their parents, as the death toll from Israeli attacks on the Strip has risen to 50,523, with 114,776 others injured since 7 October 2023.
“The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics stated that Gaza is experiencing the largest orphan crisis in modern history, with tens of thousands of children losing their parents due to the ongoing Israeli assault.
“In a statement issued ahead of Palestinian Children’s Day, which is marked on April 6, the bureau reported that 39,384 children in Gaza have lost one or both parents after 534 days of Israeli attacks on the Strip. Among them, around 17,000 children have been left without both parents, facing life without support or care.”
File. “Return of displaced people via Al-Rasheed Street after ceasefire, January 2025, Gaza Strip, 27 January 2025. UNRWA photoe via: https://unrwa.photoshelter.com/search/result/I0000yp4AR2BUgWc?terms=ceasefire&. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.. H/t Wikimedia Commons.
News reports from Gaza, many by reporters subsequently killed by the Israeli military, reveal that many of these orphaned children are constrained to scavenge for food and to take care of younger brothers and sisters, robbed of their childhood. They are especially at risk for malnutrition, which can have permanent negative cognitive effects, stunting their minds for a lifetime.
Bonus video:
Al Jazeera English: “Voices of Gaza: Orphaned children starve and grieve on a joyless Eid”
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