Sarcastic Criticism in Damascus Over Gov't Decision to Produce Water Cups

 Residents fill water containers in Aleppo, Syria September 15, 2015. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail
Residents fill water containers in Aleppo, Syria September 15, 2015. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail
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Sarcastic Criticism in Damascus Over Gov't Decision to Produce Water Cups

 Residents fill water containers in Aleppo, Syria September 15, 2015. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail
Residents fill water containers in Aleppo, Syria September 15, 2015. REUTERS/Abdalrhman Ismail

The Syrian Ministry of Industry announced the production of water cups, which stirred a wave of criticism among the people, who accused the government of seeking to maintain the deteriorating standard of living for most people.

Amid a suffocating drinking water crisis and the Syrian Trading Corporation’s monopoly of the products of the General Water Bottling Company affiliated with the Ministry of Industry, the citizens were surprised that the company offered a new product recently - a water cup with a capacity of 250 ml.

The introduction of the new product was met with criticism. A university graduate, who closely follows the situation in government-controlled areas, told Asharq Al-Awsat on Thursday: “It has become clear that the vast majority of people in government-controlled areas live below the poverty line, and the government with this product tells them to live on less than subsistence levels.”

He continued: “A family needs 1,000 liters of mazout, and the government gives them 50 liters, while public taxi drivers need 25 liters of gasoline per day, and the government gives them 25 liters every four days!”

Other people mocked the news about the water cups. A 40 year-old Syrian resident told Asharq Al-Awsat: “They give us water with a dropper, and after a little while, they will tell people there is no water at all.”

The General Company for Water Bottling commented on the criticism received on social media, saying that the Ain al-Fijah water bottling unit has had a project for producing the cups since 2011, and that the Syrian Arab Aviation Corporation and other airlines used its products in a size of 125 ml, and served them to passengers with meals on board.

“With the high volume of demand, the size of the product was converted from 125 ml to 250 ml and sold to agents, restaurants and cafes to meet the needs of the market,” the company added.



Medical Charity Condemns Israel's Use of Hunger as 'Weapon of War' in Gaza

A Palestinian boy at a garbage dump in central Gaza City, 12 May 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
A Palestinian boy at a garbage dump in central Gaza City, 12 May 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
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Medical Charity Condemns Israel's Use of Hunger as 'Weapon of War' in Gaza

A Palestinian boy at a garbage dump in central Gaza City, 12 May 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
A Palestinian boy at a garbage dump in central Gaza City, 12 May 2025. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER

A months-long Israeli blockade is worsening acute malnutrition in the Gaza Strip, medical charity Medecins du Monde warned on Tuesday, accusing Israel of using hunger as "a weapon of war".

Israel halted all aid from entering the war-ravaged Palestinian territory on March 2, days before resuming its offensive triggered by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel.

The United Nations and aid agencies have repeatedly warned of a growing humanitarian catastrophe for the roughly 2.4 million people in Gaza, amid dwindling supplies of everything from fuel and medicine to food and clean water.

Aid reaches Gaza mainly through Israeli-controlled entry points, though the flow has fluctuated -- even before the March shutdown.

After more than a year and a half of war, acute malnutrition in Gaza has "reached levels comparable to those seen in countries facing prolonged humanitarian crises spanning several decades," AFP quoted Medecins du Monde as saying.

MDM said data from six health centers it runs in the Palestinian territory highlighted "the human responsibility for hunger in Gaza".

"Acute malnutrition rates among pregnant and breastfeeding women and children depend on the Israeli authorities' decisions to allow or block humanitarian aid," it said.

The medical charity said the peaks in acute malnutrition it observed in 2024 "coincided with the sharpest decline in the monthly number of trucks delivering aid to Gaza".

MDM said it saw a peak in child acute malnutrition of 17 percent in November, during a significant reduction of humanitarian aid.

Aid access is limited to Israeli-controlled crossings, with the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt closed since the Israeli army took control of the city in spring 2024.

Israeli authorities have closed the crossing points since March 2, saying they want to force Hamas to release hostages.

The security cabinet in early May approved the "possibility of humanitarian distribution, if necessary" in Gaza, but insisted there was "currently enough food".

The UN's World Food Program in late April said it had depleted all its food stocks in the territory.

"We are not witnessing a humanitarian crisis but a crisis of humanity and moral bankruptcy with the use of hunger as a weapon of war," said Jean-Francois Corty, president of MDM.

"The failure of other countries with the power to pressure the Israeli authorities to lift this deadly siege is unacceptable and could be seen as complicity under international law," he added.

In April, one in five pregnant or breastfeeding women and nearly one in four children MDM observed were suffering or were at high risk of acute malnutrition, the charity said.

The MDM report also detailed the domino effect of dwindling food reserves, as well as the destruction of agricultural facilities and sanitation systems, on the malnutrition crisis.

The organization said it could not officially declare famine underway due to a lack of comprehensive data covering the entire Palestinian territory.

The UN- and NGO-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification warned Monday that Gaza was at "critical risk of famine", with 22 percent of the population facing an imminent humanitarian "catastrophe".