GAZA, (PIC)
“Thank God… patience is the key to relief.” With these words full of faith, contentment, and certainty in God’s promise, Palestinian elder Abu Saber encapsulates the condition of Palestinians in Gaza. His weary body is ravaged by illness and disease, which have spread due to the ongoing Zionist aggression against Gaza for 414 days. Despite losing his home to the brutal assault, he lives with what remains of his family in a shelter, holding onto patience and clinging to the threads of hope that the future will bring relief, even if it takes time.
Even though the situation has reached “ground zero,” as Abu Saber describes it, and conditions are at their darkest and most severe, the effects of the rampant disease have left no part of his face untouched. Yet, his grateful and remembering tongue, alongside his humble and patient heart, manages to extract a smile, mocking the Zionist aggression and the betrayal from the Arab and Islamic world that has left an entire people suffering the bitterness and oppression that Abu Saber endures. Still, he remains “patient, steadfast, and vigilant,” certain that this is the “key to relief.”
Those of Abu Saber’s age have lived through calamities, tasted the bitterness of setbacks, and know what it means to experience the betrayal faced by Palestinians—betrayals that seem unprecedented in history. Their condition is lamentable due to the hardships they have encountered in life. The illness and epidemic they suffer from resonate with the words of the poet Al-Mutanabbi: “You have inflicted a wound that leaves no place for swords or arrows.” This reflects the situation of the people of Gaza and Palestine today, given the severity of the enemy’s aggression and crimes, alongside the betrayal from brothers, neighbors, and friends.
Abu Saber’s painful condition, his distressing image, and his simple yet impactful words have made him an icon of perseverance and defiance against occupation. His story has stirred the hearts and consciences of those who sympathize with the plight of the people of Gaza, who suffer in shelters devoid of basic necessities, turning them into breeding grounds for diseases and epidemics, compounded by continual targeting from the occupiers that has made their lives unbearable.
Journalist Anas Al-Sharif describes Abu Saber’s situation, “The people of Gaza are beset by betrayal, displacement, destruction, extermination, and epidemics. Elder Abu Saber lost his entire home and was forced to live with his family in one of the shelters, where diseases and epidemics are rampant amid the collapse of the health system destroyed by Israeli forces.”
The epidemic outbreak sounds alarm bells
The United Nations confirms that markets in the Gaza Strip lack disinfectants and personal hygiene supplies due to Israeli obstacles preventing the entry of aid. Displaced individuals complain about their inability to meet personal hygiene needs, the continued spread of infectious diseases, water contamination, and the absence of sanitation services, according to the UN.
The World Health Organization has also sounded the alarm about the rapid spread of infectious diseases in Gaza due to the disruption of health facilities and water and sanitation networks. It has called for the urgent delivery of humanitarian aid across the Strip, including fuel, water, food, and medical supplies.
The organization reported that by June 30, there were more than 100,000 cases of scabies and lice, 60,000 cases of skin rashes, and 11,000 cases of chickenpox in the Strip. According to the organization, there have been reports of 8,944 new cases of scabies and lice, more than 1,000 cases of chickenpox, 13,000 cases of skin rashes, and 55,000 cases of upper respiratory infections.
