A leap year in which the Al-Aqsa flood brought the Palestinian issue back to the forefront of global events, as the Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip launched a military campaign described as the bloodiest in recent decades, resulting in the martyrdom of more than 41 thousand citizens, more than half of whom were women and children, and about 75% of the Strip’s population were displaced. About 95 thousand were injured, according to Global Health Organization.
This war caused a catastrophic health crisis, as a result of the Israeli occupation’s use of toxic and internationally banned substances, which resulted in physical and psychological illnesses affecting the people of the Gaza Strip. This is exacerbated by overcrowded shelters, the difficulty of accessing food and safe and clean water, and the deterioration of health facilities.
A year of internationally banned substances
Since October 7, 2023, the Israeli occupation has been using all methods of starvation and cutting off fuel and medicine from the Gaza Strip. It has also deliberately used toxic substances that kill people, as it has introduced new weapons in its war that continues to this day.
When he revealed investigation Amnesty International reported on the Israeli occupation’s use of white phosphorus based on the testimonies of doctors and patients who had been burned, and videos verified by the organization’s Crisis Evidence Laboratory, the results of which confirmed the occupation army’s use of this substance.
White phosphorus is a solid, waxy, yellowish or colorless chemical substance that causes deep burns that penetrate the bones. It is flammable again during or after the initial treatment if it is exposed to oxygen. Armies use it to illuminate battlefields and generate a smoke screen. When ignited, it sticks to surfaces such as Skin and clothing.
In addition to white phosphorus, Israel has been accused of using several types of internationally banned munitions that are prohibited from being used against humans, such as vacuum bombs and depleted uranium.
form Vacuum bombs A type of air-explosive bomb, which creates an explosive cloud when it explodes, resulting in a large fireball, and causing a temperature rise of up to about 3,000 degrees Celsius, that is, double what regular bombs cause.
This type of bomb causes the ocean to be emptied of oxygen, which leads to the death of all living creatures by suffocation and burning. Anyone who is not killed by the bomb spends his life blind or suffering from a concussion, ruptured eardrums, in addition to obstruction of the airways, collapse of the lungs, and other very serious injuries.
As for Uranium Depleted uranium. Many physicists and doctors believe that it causes health problems in the respiratory system, liver, and kidneys, memory loss, headaches, constant fatigue, fever, and low blood pressure. It is extracted from natural uranium and is packed with a type of bomb that is fired from cannons or dropped from fighter aircraft. It has a high ability to Melting solid concrete and armored materials.
According to United Nations reports, exposure to this substance increases the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer and respiratory diseases by up to 40%, especially in individuals who are exposed to it frequently.
Not the first time
This is not new. In 2010, the Palestinian Ministry of Health presented studies and research conducted by Italian researchers, confirming the presence of dangerous toxic substances in high levels in the bodies of Gaza residents as a result of the Israeli war on the Strip that began at the end of 2008.
After examining the bodies of a sample that included 15 martyrs and wounded victims of the war, in addition to another sample of 95 people from the Gaza Strip, the results of the examination showed the presence of 30 heavy toxic elements, most notably uranium, in percentages much higher than normal levels.
According to the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Observatory, Israel dropped more than 25,000 tons of explosives on the Gaza Strip until November 2023, the equivalent of two nuclear bombs.
Euro-Med highlighted – in a statement – the Israeli occupation army’s admission that its aircraft targeted more than 12,000 targets in the Gaza Strip, with a record toll of bombs, such that each individual’s share exceeds 10 kilograms of explosives, which is a huge amount if you consider that the weight of a hand grenade is less than 400 gr.
How did the occupation weapons affect mental health?
The matter does not stop there, as the sounds of explosions resulting from the missiles and weapons used by the Israeli occupation army in the Gaza Strip may cause the young woman, Manal Qwaider, to lose her sense of hearing in her left ear, as she says that northern Gaza (the area in which she is located) was exposed to a barrage of missiles, especially the belt of fire. .
The Israeli occupation has used the Belt of Fire policy with the people of the Gaza Strip, which is a violent and continuous bombardment for an entire hour. Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Qwaider says that these types of weapons produce loud noises that cause a state of panic and tension, while when they are fired, they cause her to have a state of convulsions. Severe shrinkage to the point of being unable to move, and not sleeping for many days.
For his part, psychological expert Abdul Rahman Mezher says that the use of weapons results in direct and indirect psychological damage, and “direct damage represented in a state of panic and fear as a result of the sounds of explosions and missiles. It is known that weapons affect the respiratory system, and thus the patient suffers from shortness of breath that makes him feel a state of anxiety.” Panic, and indirect damage, represented by toxic substances such as white phosphorus causing scars on the body as it is a deeply burning substance. If these scars reach the face or hands, the person will constantly remember the situation, and if the injured person is a child, he may be exposed to bullying.”
Mezher added – in his interview with Al Jazeera Net – that the Israeli occupation used its weapons for torture by releasing materials that continue to explode for a long period of time, and this method is used in prisons and detention centers to make detainees feel tense and anxious.
andConfirm UN Women has a share of suffering, as the war on Gaza has taken a heavy toll on the mental health of the population. Of the 305 women surveyed, 75% reported feeling depressed often, 62% could not sleep often, and 65% experienced stress and nightmares most of the time.
Mazher agrees with this. Through the psychological consultations he provides to the people of the Gaza Strip via the Internet, he says that sleep disturbances, irritability, and constant tension are among the most prominent symptoms he observes in cases, and they are a direct result of the war.
Diseases kill the people of Gaza
This comes in another important context, as the Israeli strikes completely targeted Gaza’s infrastructure and forced residents to crowd into relatively narrow areas, which had dire health effects. The results of the report of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs revealed the spread of infectious diseases in crowded places. The rates of diseases such as jaundice, hepatitis A, and diarrhea have increased, and hundreds of thousands of cases of acute respiratory infections have been recorded, especially among children and women.
A recent UN Women report – published in September 2024 – revealed that overcrowded shelters and inadequate water and sanitation facilities led to hundreds of thousands of cases of acute respiratory infections, jaundice, diarrhea, and skin rashes. Women account for more than two-thirds of reported cases of gastrointestinal diseases and hepatitis A.
There is a close connection between the toxic materials used by the occupation and the diseases that appeared in the Gaza Strip, as the researcher specializing in climate and health, Rafiq Fahmawi, says that some of the diseases that appeared in the Strip, especially those related to the respiratory system, resulted from the extensive use of toxic materials and overcrowding in shelters.
Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Fahmawi says that the results of World Health Organization reports indicate a 300% increase in cases of acute respiratory infections in recent months alone, which reflects the danger posed by overcrowding and lack of ventilation, and these shocking numbers and international reports sound the alarm about the situation. Health for the population of Gaza: environmental pollution, lack of health care, and difficult living conditions, all of which contribute to the worsening of the health situation.