Baby dies in Gaza as power cut shuts breathing aid
24/03/2012
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) — A seven-month-old baby in Gaza died on Friday evening after medical equipment he was connected to switched off as a result of a power cut, a Hamas-affiliated TV channel said.
Gaza medical spokesman Adham Abu Salmiya confirmed the incident, adding that the infant was born with respiratory problems and doctors had recommended the use of mechanical breathing apparatus to be used at home.
The father of the child had turned on the apparatus before going to sleep but during the night a power cut caused it to switch off, resulting in the infant’s death, Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV reported.
The child was the “first victim of the current power crisis in Gaza,” Abu Salmiya said, warning that the medical sector in the coastal enclave is in jeopardy.
Recent fuel shortages have had a catastrophic effect on daily life in the Gaza Strip, with people facing daily power cuts of up to 18 hours a day.I can’t even… seven months old.
This is the state of things that Gazans have to deal with every fucking day even when Israeli F-16s aren’t buzzing over their heads at 3AM.
Hamas has blamed the recent energy crisis on everyone from Israel and the Palestinian Authority to Egypt.
But basically it’s the addition of the Israeli blockade on Gaza and the recent clamp down by Egyptian authorities on fuel that is normally smuggled into Gaza causing the Gaza power plant to shut down.
I don’t even understand what we can do to help, unlike food shortages which can be ‘helped’ through charity, this is all bureaucratic bullshit.
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