Dina Mahmoud (Gaza, London)
Although the heat wave that swept the Gaza Strip at the end of last week has subsided, during which temperatures reached at least 40 degrees Celsius, its effects are still continuing on the residents of the Strip, the majority of whom have become displaced due to the ongoing war since October 7.
Amid warnings that intensifying heat waves would increase the risk of disease and epidemic outbreaks in Gaza, especially in the crowded displacement camps in the south of the Strip, fears have risen among the few pharmacists who are still able to work there, that the extreme heat will lead to the destruction of their limited stocks of medicines. pharmaceutical.
One of these pharmacists, who is displaced from the city of Khan Yunis to the Al-Mawasi area located southwest of the Gaza Strip, said that the hot weather poses a challenge for him, given that he practices his work from an improvised tent, which he set up from wooden and metal panels and curtains, in the camp located in that area.
The man pointed out that the high temperatures, coinciding with the continuous power outages, make him unable to maintain a cool enough atmosphere to protect his stock of medicines, which he had previously purchased from pharmacies, whose owners were forced to close their doors, in different areas of the Gaza Strip due to the war.
The young Palestinian pharmacist complained that 50% of the medicines designated for treating chronic diseases are no longer available, in light of the fact that he and his colleagues, who are still working in the field of pharmacy, are unable to provide energy sources that guarantee their storage at appropriate temperatures.
He indicated in a report published by the American newspaper “The New York Times” on its website, that he is currently seeking to find alternative sources of energy generation, in order to operate the refrigerator in which he stores his medications. Among these sources are solar panels, which the Palestinian pharmacist said are expensive.
Meanwhile, relief sources in Gaza reported that the heat wave, which lasted for at least two days, led to the death of an 18-year-old Palestinian girl, after she lost consciousness due to the intense heat.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) announced that this atmosphere led to harm to a number of its employees, who were participating in the operations of distributing aid to the displaced.
Displaced people tell relief agencies working in Gaza that the results of the latest wave give an indication of what could result from the imminent rise in temperatures during the summer, which will begin in less than two months.
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