More than 98% of bakeries in Gaza Strip out of service due to lack of gas: Government Media Office

ANKARA: More than 98% of bakeries in the Gaza Strip have ceased operations due to a severe gas shortage caused by the tight siege imposed by Israel on the enclave, the Gaza Government Media Office said on Friday. In a statement, the media office warned that 'the food, water, and medicine crises are intensifying, exacerbating famine and thirst in the Gaza Strip.' The media office attributed these worsening conditions to 'the Israeli occupation and the American administration's blockade on aid and fuel entry,' holding them 'fully accountable for the looming humanitarian catastrophe.' 'The Israeli occupation army continues closing all crossings leading to the Gaza Strip for 24 days with the full support of the American administration,' the media office said. 'For 24 days, the Israeli occupation army has controlled the Rafah land crossing and closed the Kerem Shalom crossing, preventing 22,000 patients from seeking medical treatment outside the Gaza Strip, and blocked the entry of humanitarian aid and food su pplies,' it added. The media office also said 'the Israeli occupation's blockade on fuel, cooking gas, and medicine has halted over 98% of Gaza's bakeries and more than 700 water wells.' It condemned 'in the strongest terms the continuation of the genocidal war and crimes against humanity committed by the occupation and supported by the American administration in the Gaza Strip.' It also called on 'the International Criminal Court to prosecute the Israeli and American war criminals who killed more than 36,000 people in a historical holocaust.' Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since an attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire. More than 36,200 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and nearly 81,800 others injured, according to local health authorities. Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine. Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in its latest ruling ordered it to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6. * Writing by Ikram Kouachi Source: Anadolu Agency