Opioid pills discovered in US-backed food aid, Gaza authorities say
Opioid pills discovered in US-backed food aid, Gaza authorities say
US-Israeli aid distributor the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has been widely condemned for possible complicity in war crimes
The Gaza government media office on Friday condemned the discovery of oxycodone pills reportedly discovered in flour bags distributed by “American-Israeli” aid centres.
“We have so far documented four testimonies from citizens who found these pills inside the flour bags,” it said in a statement, warning of the “possibility that some of these narcotic substances were deliberately ground or dissolved in the flour itself”.
Oxycodone is an opioid meant to treat severe and long-term pain, often prescribed to cancer patients.
The drug is highly addictive and can have life-threatening effects, including breathing complications and hallucinations.
The media office’s statement comes after several social media posts shared images of pills purportedly discovered in flour bags in Gaza.
If that's true that's fucking low
I didn’t see it reported elsewhere, but Middle East Eye has a good reputation for factual reporting.
I imagine that other news outlets don’t agree with the allegations of this being to poison people in Gaza. If someone was trying to poison the food, uncrushed oxy pills in flour is a pretty dumb and expensive way to do it.
People are sick and dying and are desperate for painkillers.
Also, smugglers have been trying to find ways around the blockades.
Medical supply / drug smuggling happens in every war. Addicts, and people who are dying and suffering from mangled limbs, want drugs.
If your mom’s dying from cancer or if Netanyahu blew off your brother’s leg, and the hospital can’t get you medical grade opioid painkillers, are you just going to do nothing? Or are you going to try to work with a smuggler to help them out?
Israel has created a meat grinder and isn’t letting medicine in to hospitals. Desperate people are trying to do whatever they can.
The idea is to create widespread addiction and societal breakdown.
Israel and their US backers are pure undiluted evil.
So like the 21st century version of smallpox blankets
It was in pill form. My money is on people smuggling meds for the sick and dying because they can’t get rationed meds from hospitals.
This wouldn’t be the first time desperate people resorted to smuggling meds during a brutal war.
If someone wanted to poison people, there are much cheaper and more effective ways to do that.
It’s a brutal war and medical supplies are being rationed, if they exist at all. When hospitals don’t have meds, or can’t give rationed meds to lower priority people who are suffering, those desperate people resort to smuggling.
I’m sure there are also addicts who can trade influence or high value items for oxy, but my money on this being for the sick and dying.
This always happens in war.
Stop calling it a war. It's a genocide, a planned massacre, pretty similar to what the Nazis were doing. For it to be a war, there would have to be two sides fighting which isn't the case.
My point is that Gaza is a conflict zone with people who are suffering and hospitals that can’t get the right drugs through Israel’s blockade.
I’m not trying to imply that Israel’s isn’t being a genocidal actor.