Infant Dies in Gaza Due to Fuel Shortage

Local Editor

The Palestinian infant Mohammed Helou passed away in besieged Gaza Strip after the generator powering his respirator ceased operation due to the fuel shortage besetting the Tel Aviv-blockaded coastal sliver.
 
In an interview with al-Aqsa TV, Gaza medical spokesman, Adham Abu Salmiya unveiled that "the seven-month-old died on Friday evening."
"The respirator was used to remove the fluids formed by a congenital lymphatic disorder from the baby's respiratory system," the report added.

The baby's father, Abdul-Halim Helou, informed that "their generator ran out of fuel, causing their son's respirator to stop working and ultimately causing the baby to choke to death."
"If we were living in a normal country with electricity, I think his chances of living (longer) would have been better," Helou said.

According to a statement issued by Gaza Power Authority, the besieged enclave\'s sole power plant had shut down again on Sunday morning after a few days of sporadic operation.
Gaza Health Minister Bassem Naim also announced that "the fuel shortage was placing lives in jeopardy."
 
"Fifty percent of our ambulances and vehicles are immobilized...We are under constant strain from power cuts," he said in a statement.
"The generating station in Gaza City was stopped completely this morning after two days of working," he stated calling on "all parties to take immediate measures to solve the fuel crisis completely and permanently."

Gaza has been blockaded by Tel Aviv since 2007, causing a decline in the standard of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.
The full-scale land, aerial, and naval siege has turned the enclave into the world's largest open-air prison.
 

Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org