Habiba was to receive her two – month – old vaccines on Saturday. Instead, the family mourned her death and the seven – month – old Aseel after a fire swept through the tent, where their relatives had gathered in the south of the Gaza Strip.
The family’s visit to al-Mawasi, west of Khan Yunis, ended in a desperate attempt to rescue two babies when fire broke out Friday afternoon.
Both suffered severe burns and were taken into intensive care. They passed away on Saturday morning.
The Nasser Medical complex identified them as Habiba Mohammed Zanoun, two months old, and Aseel Abu Suhayban, seven months old.
Sources told Anadolu that the fire started during food cooking within the tent.
According to them, major gas shortages for cooking and basic supplies, as a result of the Israeli blockade, have forced displaced families to prepare food on open flames.
The grandmother said that her daughter had come to visit the family in their tent when fire broke out suddenly.
Why is this happening to us? Every day there are accidents, bombings and fires, and people are dying in many ways, she added.
For three years we’ve been living this way, between shift, anxiety and pain, Grandma explained.
The fire was one of the three fires reported Friday in the tents of displaced families in central and southern Gaza, according to sources.
Because of lack of gas for cooking, families have been forced to use improvised fires to prepare food. Within crowded shelters built with flammable materials, a daily need can endanger people’s lives.
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs ( O CHA) warned in June that cooking within tents of displaced families was one of the main causes of fires.
The blankets, old fabric pieces, cardboard, and plastic covers used to reinforce shelters cause the flames to spread rapidly and make it difficult to extinguish fires, the warning said.
Grandma, who is mourning the loss of two nieces, urged the world to pay attention to the displaced families in Gaza and to help end their suffering. / AA/
