Girls fight for their family's survival in Gaza, hunger demands victims

The bright pink sweater with a picture of Cinderella hangs on Jana's narrow shoulders, while it goes through the devastated landscape in northern Gaza, surrounded by ruins, dust and rubble. The 12-year-old has a large container in her hand and is on a mission: she is looking for food and water.

Janakommando in difficult times

Jana Mohammed Khalil Musleh al-Skeifi and her family report that since the death of her older brother by an Israeli sniper, she is responsible for getting the necessary supplies for the family more than a year ago. Since her parents are healthy, responsibility now lies entirely with her.

"I don't want my father to get tired. That's why I'm strong. I want to be strong so that my father does not suffer," Jana told CNN, while she was in a queue at a water distribution point in Gaza City. "My father is older and has heart problems. If he tries to wear the bucket, he will fall."

The search for water and food

To protect her father, the delicate girl wore two heavy buckets full of water to your home; Her ankles were white from the heavy load, and their jeans were soaked by the valuable water that spilled back and forth. The search for food was increasingly difficult after the brutal war of Israel, which began after the terrorist attack by Hamas and her allies on October 7. The situation has katastrophhal 11 weeks imposed a total blockade of all relief goods.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza

A report supported by the United Nations, which was published at the beginning of this month, states that one of five people in Gaza from hunger threatened , while the area is headed for by 2.1 million inhabitants for a famine caused by humans. Israel said that the blockade and a new military offensive should put pressure on Hamas to relieve the hostages that are captured in the enclave. However, many international organizations have accused Israel of using hunger as a weapon of war.

lack of water and hygienic plight

The procurement of clean water has been difficult for months, since Israel limits access to water treatment and desalination systems and claims that this could be used to produce weapons. According to the humanitarian organization, doctors without borders, according to the humaniters of the 1,700 water and sanitary items, which they wanted to deliver to Gaza between January 2024 and early March 2025, were rejected by the Israeli authorities.

"You can just fill a bucket because there is no real waiting system. If you wait, you may not get anything. Sometimes we have to go home without anything," said Jana. "Sometimes I sit there for hours, just to fill a bucket. It's a terrible feeling."

The desperate location of the families

In the past, the family of Jana had to fall back on salt water to clean and cook. The Israeli military announced on Sunday that it would allow a "basic grocery deliveries" to Gaza while it started its new offensive in the Gaza strip. The reason for this, according to the military, is the fact that a "famine emergency crisis" in Gaza would endanger the operation.

The following day, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that this step was taken because the western allies, including the United States, had threatened to withdraw their support for Israel if Gaza should slip into a famine. However, only five trucks were allowed in on Monday, while humanitarian organizations said that 500 trucks were necessary every day to provide the most people in need.

The effects of the humanitarian crisis

Hunger is becoming increasingly catastrophic. The Ministry of Health in Gaza stated that at least 57 children have died of the consequences of malnutrition since the beginning of the war. Jana's little niece, Janat, was one of them, her family reported.

The desperate struggle for survival

While Janat was born as a small child with 2.6 kilograms (5 LB 12 OZ), her mother Aya said that the baby was thriving and grew. It became a healthy baby and reached a weight of around 4 kilograms (8 LB 13 OZ). But when Janat was six weeks old, everything changed. On March 2, Israel imposed the total blockade of Gaza, preventing the most fundamental deliveries, including baby food and medication.

"(In the hospital) we were told that there would be a special medical milk that would help her to gain weight and stop the diarrhea - but we couldn't find it. We were looking for Gaza, hospital for hospital, pharmacy for pharmacy. Even the Ministry of Health told us that it was not available," said Aya.

The sad story of Janat

A video by Janat, which was recorded in mid -April, shows the tiny baby, kept closely in the arms of Aya. Her face looks bony and she looks more like a newborn than a four -month -old child. Her small, long fingers protrude from the ceiling and she looks sleepy. Her big brown eyes are the only part of her exhausted body that seems to move.

The struggle for medical help

At that time, Janat's mother also had to fight, weakened by the lack of food and clean water. Like many new mothers in Gaza, she lost her milk and could no longer feed her baby. The eleven -assisted hunger report said that almost 11,000 pregnant women in Gaza are threatened with starvation.

Janat's condition continued to deteriorate and the doctors said that their blood sugar levels were dangerously low. Their oxygen values ​​sank. The malnutrition led to their kidneys and liver no longer worked properly and their blood was acidified.

The desperate helplessness of the family

"I bend the whole world to save it. I just wanted someone to come to bring the milk they needed. But nobody could help. Everyone just watched," said Janat's mother.

Janat's mother said CNN that the doctors in the hospital had recommended a medical evacuation of the baby abroad. The family even had the necessary papers, including a transfer and approval to evacuate Janat. But the baby died on May 4th before this was possible. At just four months, she weighed just 2.8 kilograms (6 LB 3 OZ), hardly more than at your birth.

The loss and the search for normal life

After 18 months of war, every aspect of Jana's life is filled with difficulties. There is no food and water, it cannot go to school, has no safe place to sleep. There is no electricity, and what she calls her home is a half-destroyed house in Gaza city. The walls are sooted from fire by fire.

Jana once lived in a house where you got water from the tap and turned on light with a switch. There was food, a school and a dance performance in which she and her friends were the focus, dressed and dancing in suitable outfits while the spectators applauded.

Hope for a better future

On the last day that CNN spent with Jana, she was lucky. A shared kitchen received supplies and she was able to get a meal for herself and her siblings, nieces and nephews. On May 12th, one day before CNN met Jana, she managed to buy 500 grams of pasta for 50 Schekel ($ 15).

How many families in Gaza grinded the pasta to flour to bake bread in trying to make it last longer. The next day, when a nearby community kitchen received supplies, many hungry children gathered in a few minutes. They observed every movement of the workers, full of anticipation that the food would be ready.

It is obvious that there is not enough food for everyone, and the children pushed up to get their pots as close as possible to the distribution. Jana was lucky, two portions pasta with aqueous tomato sauce landed in her container. Although she looked exhausted and hungry, she was happy.

On the way home with her steaming food, she didn't touch it until she arrived at home, where her hungry siblings, nieces and nephews were waiting for her. Only then, when sharing, was Jana allowed herself to eat.