'No choice but to slaughter horses to feed our children', says Gazan at Jabalia refugee camp

Amid the prolonged war between Israel and Hamas militant group, a report by news agency AFP revealed that a family in Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, slaughtered two of their horses to feed their children. Family member Abu Jibril speaking to the outlet said, "We had no choice but to slaughter horses to feed our children. Starvation is killing us."

Escaping the war, the 60-year-old Jibriel arrived from nearby Beit Hanun in the aftermath of the Israeli bombardment of Hamas targets. Meeting the same fate as many others who have been stuck in the middle of the war since October 7 last year, Jibril is living in a tent near the former UN-run school.

"We the grown-ups can still make it but these children who are four and five years old, what did they do wrong to sleep hungry and wake up hungry?" he said.

Gibril silently held onto his choice of slaughtering his horses, quietly preparing the meat with rice and serving it to his unsuspecting family and neighbours. He confessed to feeling apprehensive about how they would respond.

"No one knows they were in fact eating a horse."

The report saidresidents have been foraging for and consuming spoiled corn scraps. Some are even taking animal feed deemed unsuitable for human consumption, and even leaves. All of this is being done in order to stave off worsening hunger.

Food shortages

There has been a dearth of food. Aid efforts for Gaza have also been hindered. Earlier, there were reports of frenzied looting of the few trucks which attempted to delivery humanitarian assistance to the Gazans. United Nations have already sounded alarm bells and cautioned that 2.2 million individuals teeter on the edge of starvation.

Gaza's Ministry of Health on Friday (Feb 23) announced a staggering toll of at least 29,606 casualties in the Gaza conflict since Oct 7. One woman reportedly said, "There is no food, no wheat, no drinking water." "We have started begging neighbours for money. We don't have one shekel at home. We knock on doors and no one is giving us money".

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

(With inputs from agencies)