Displaced Gazans face desperate struggle to survive as winter sets in

China

Displaced Gazans face desperate struggle to survive as winter sets in

2024-12-27 17:38 Last Updated At：20:57

Gazans displaced by Israeli attacks are struggling to survive the harsh living conditions amid rubble and a worsening health crisis, with their prospects for survival growing dimmer as winter looms.

Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip has caused one of the world's biggest humanitarian crises and unprecedented levels of infrastructure damages.

Gaza's health ministry said more than 45,000 Palestinians have died since October 7, 2023.

The infrastructure in Gaza has been devastated, with more than 66 percent of residential buildings damaged.

According to the United Nations, 90 percent of Gaza's population has been displaced, and 84 percent of Gaza has been subjected to forced Israeli evacuation orders, with most Palestinians trapped in just 10 percent of the coastal strip.

According to a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), approximately 986 health workers have been killed, and only 17 of 36 hospitals in Gaza have remained. The health sector has collapsed in Gaza.

Throughout 2024, the Israeli army expanded the scope of its military operation in the Gaza Strip. It invaded the cities of Khan Yunis and Rafah in the south, and the cities in the northern Gaza Strip, one after the other, besieging and preventing humanitarian supplies from reaching them.

Since the beginning of October this year, the Israeli army has launched a concentrated military operation in the northern Gaza Strip, which is still ongoing.

"The situation in the Gaza Strip has been catastrophic and is moving from bad to worse. Civilians have been paying a heavy cost due to the hostilities and the fighting. They are entrapped in a closed loop of displacement, hunger, lack of safety. Civilians in the northern Gaza Strip for several weeks have been facing horrendous situations. They are exposed to all kinds of risks," said Hisham Mohanna, spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Gaza.

Nurse Ashraf Al-Attar was the sole survivor after an Israeli missile destroyed his home.

"A crime of execution was committed against my entire family, my children and my wife. We were sitting at home like any family who are safely in their home. We did not pose a threat to anyone, and we were not warned in advance. Suddenly, a missile hit us and ripped my children into pieces," he said.

Elderly civilian Talaat Saksak pitched his tent on the beach to escape the bombings, but the tide posed a threat while they were sleeping.

"Of course we were drowning, our belongings are gone. Where will we get new things in the current situation? There's nothing to buy, and no money to buy things with. When the sea water flooded us, we were seriously affected," said Talaat Saksak.

Mohammed Awad is one of the Palestinian journalists who managed to leave Gaza for Cairo before the Rafah crossing was closed. His family members were killed in an Israeli bombardment, while the number of journalists killed in the Strip has risen to 196.

"I moved to Cairo after the long and extended displacement process and after my family was targeted on the sixth of January. I moved here to work through the Al Arabiya channel office to follow up on field news in the Gaza Strip, and coordinate with my colleagues who are still working in the field in order to transmit their images," he said.

Local governments promote trade-ins, equipment upgrade with policies, subsidies

2024-12-28 06:24 Last Updated At：07:17

Governments at all levels across China are promoting consumer goods trade-ins and industrial equipment upgrade with preferential policies and subsidies, bringing about significant growth in home appliance sales and equipment production. So far this year, the trade-in policies have brought a total sale of one trillion yuan (about 137 billion U.S. dollars) nationwide, and boosted production of trade-in-related goods like new energy vehicles (NEVs) and home-use freezers.

In Shanghai, in addition to the eight categories of nationwide subsidized products, like refrigerators, television sets, and computers, the local government introduced extra subsidies for additional home appliances, as well as interior materials, furniture, elderly-friendly products, and more to meet local needs.

According to statistics, Shanghai's trade-ins of home appliances have exceeded 6.4 million times, boosting trade of the eight categories by 30 to 40 percent compared to last year's statistics, and the total sales of home appliances on all platforms exceeded 10 billion yuan (about 1.37 billion U.S. dollars).

In central China's Hubei Province, the local government is providing subsidies unlimited times for passenger vehicles trade-ins, expanding subsidized kitchen and bathroom appliances, and involving interior goods and materials to the list, benefiting consumers in over 4.5 million transactions and bringing a total sale of 50 billion yuan (about 6.8 billion U.S. dollars).

In the first three quarters, industrial equipment upgrade policies have stimulated investments in equipment and tools, featuring a 16.4 percent year-on-year increase, with food manufacturing, agricultural products processing, and metal smelting equipment production increasing by 38.1 percent, 34.6 percent, and 13.2 percent, respectively.

In addition to consumer goods, governments at all levels have been actively offering allowances and providing guidance for companies to upgrade appliances and technologies to facilitate domestic consumption "We have applied for nearly 50 million yuan (about 6.8 million U.S. dollars) funding for equipment upgrades. With active advertising and mobilization, we encouraged local advantageous companies in machinery and medicine and health to apply, and provide guidance for them on company digitalization and technology upgrade," said Yu Biao, deputy director of the Development and Reform Bureau of Xinchang County in Shaoxing City of east China's Zhejiang Province.

Companies are also benefiting from the policy, and many are pursuing expansion with government allowances.

"We have benefited from the 'one-time pre-tax deduction policy for equipment and tools under 5 million yuan (about 680,000 U.S. dollars)' and reinvested additional funds for the Phase II expansion. As a result, the annual processing capacity has increased from 80,000 tonnes to 130,000 tonnes," said Tang Kaibo, general manager of Liaoning Lvyuan Renewable Energy Development Co., Ltd.