Latest news with #Mehanna
Days of Palestine
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Days of Palestine
Gaza Warns of Total Water Collapse Amid Israeli Attacks, Fuel Crisis
The Gaza Municipality issued a dire warning on Friday, saying the city is on the brink of a complete collapse of its water and sanitation systems due to a crippling fuel shortage and the ongoing Israeli targeting of vital infrastructure. 'We are approaching a phase of mass thirst,' said Hosni Mehanna, spokesperson for Gaza's municipality, in comments to Anadolu Agency. 'A comprehensive health and environmental disaster is unfolding, threatening hundreds of thousands of lives.' Mehanna described a worsening humanitarian emergency, with displaced families now forced to take shelter along Gaza City's coastline—an area devoid of basic services, especially clean water. 'Water demand has surged with displaced populations crowded into limited areas, while many others receive no water at all due to the destruction of infrastructure,' he explained. 'This puts us on the verge of a complete water system collapse.' Mehanna appealed urgently to international and humanitarian organizations to intervene, demanding immediate action to halt the Israeli offensive, reopen border crossings, and allow fuel and equipment to enter Gaza. 'The absence of basic living conditions, the spread of famine, and the total failure of water and sanitation systems are pushing the city toward an unprecedented catastrophe,' he warned. Since March 2, Gaza has been under a total blockade of humanitarian aid, including fuel and medical supplies. The situation has only worsened with Israel's renewed large-scale military assaults that began in October 2023. The ongoing bombardment has killed over 53,800 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Israel continues to reject global ceasefire calls and maintains its offensive. In response to the widespread devastation, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Separately, Israel is also facing genocide proceedings at the International Court of Justice over its war on Gaza. Shortlink for this post:
Al Manar
24-05-2025
- General
- Al Manar
Gaza Faces 'Mass Thirst' as Water Systems Near Total Collapse
The Gaza Municipality has warned of an imminent and total collapse of the city's water and sewage systems due to dwindling fuel supplies and the Israeli targeting of vital infrastructure. The crisis threatens to trigger a phase of 'mass thirst' and a widespread health and environmental catastrophe affecting hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. Breaking | Thousands of Palestinians struggle to obtain bread in Al-Nuseirat camp, central Gaza Strip, amid the entry of limited humanitarian aid. — Quds News Network (@QudsNen) May 24, 2025 'We are on the brink of a mass thirst crisis,' warned Gaza Municipality spokesperson Husni Mehanna. 'The situation could spiral out of control at any moment.' Hundreds of Palestinian families have been forced to flee to Gaza City's seashore where basic services, particularly water, are nonexistent. The massive destruction of infrastructure in southwestern parts of the city has left these areas virtually uninhabitable. The crisis has forced residents to dig hundreds of random cesspits for sewage disposal, creating a serious threat of groundwater contamination and disease spread. Officials fear that water shortages in displacement areas will dramatically worsen the already severe humanitarian situation, especially as famine spreads throughout the region. 'We are facing a complete collapse of essential services,' Mehanna stated. 'This threatens to escalate the environmental and humanitarian catastrophe due to dwindling fuel supplies and Israel's deliberate targeting of vital infrastructure.' The joy of a child after receiving a bundle of bread, following more than two months of deprivation — a joy beyond measure, even though the bundle is only enough for his family for one day, amid real fears that he may not be able to get it again due to the limited supplies… — Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) May 23, 2025 The municipality estimates that hundreds of thousands of residents and displaced people sheltering in central and western Gaza City are at serious risk. With temperatures rising and displaced populations packed into small areas, the potential shutdown of sewage treatment plants due to fuel shortages could lead to wastewater flooding residential neighborhoods. Since October 7, 2023, the ongoing Israeli aggression has severely damaged the Gaza Strip's water infrastructure. According to previous data from the Gaza government, more than 115,000 meters of water networks have been damaged, 63 wells have gone out of service, 4 major water tanks have been destroyed, and the only desalination plant in the northwest of Gaza City—which used to produce about 10,000 cubic meters of water daily—has shut down. Mehanna concluded by saying that Gaza Municipality urgently needs around $16 million to restart water and sanitation facilities and save the population from a crisis that could escalate into an unprecedented humanitarian disaster. The Gaza Strip has been facing a catastrophic humanitarian and relief crisis since 'Israel' shut down all crossings on March 2, blocking the entry of food, medicine, aid, and fuel, while intensifying its genocidal campaign against the Palestinian population of the Strip. Hala (10 years old) and Abdullah (12 years old), displaced from Fash Farsh in Rafah, rely daily on food kitchens in Khan Yunis to secure meals due to the shortage of flour and bread, facing difficult conditions especially as Hala's sister is visually impaired and in need of… — Eye on Palestine (@EyeonPalestine) May 23, 2025 With full US support, 'Israel' has been committing acts of genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, resulting in over 175,000 Palestinians killed or injured, most of them women and children, and more than 11,000 missing, along with hundreds of thousands displaced. 'Israel' has maintained a blockade on the Gaza Strip for 18 years, and around 1.5 million Palestinians out of 2.4 million in the Strip are now homeless after their homes were destroyed in the genocidal war. The Strip is also suffering from severe famine due to Israel's closure of crossings to humanitarian aid.
Perth Now
07-05-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
Oral sex frequency raises throat cancer risk
People who have had oral sex with more than six partners in their lives are nearly 10 times more likely to get throat cancer. Dr. Hisham Mehanna, an expert in the disease at the University of Birmingham, explained that seven in 10 throat cancers are caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) - a normally harmless virus that is spread through sexual contact and has been linked to causing changes in cells that can become cancerous. Writing for The Conversation, Dr. Mehanna said: "Over the past two decades, there has been a rapid increase in throat cancer in the West, to the extent that some have called it an epidemic. "This has been due to a large rise in a specific type of throat cancer called oropharyngeal cancer." Dr. Mehanna explained that those with several oral sex partners are at increased risk of oropharyngeal cancer - the most common type of the disease that appears in the tonsils and the back of the throat. He said: "For oropharyngeal cancer, the main risk factor is the number of lifetime sexual partners, especially oral sex. "Those with six or more lifetime oral-sex partners are 8.5 times more likely to develop oropharyngeal cancer than those who do not practice oral sex."
