The government media office in the Gaza Strip has announced a shocking incident involving the discovery of narcotic pills – Oxycodone – inside bags of flour distributed to citizens through relief centers in the Strip. Hamas has directly blamed Israel for what it describes as a “heinous crime”.

According to an official statement, the office received reports from citizens who found Oxycodone pills inside bags of flour they received from aid distribution centers, describing these centers as “death traps” operating under the guise of “US-Israeli aid.”

‘Death traps’

Snopes reported that the official statement read:

*Drug pills found inside flour bags from the so-called “American-Israeli aid centers” is a heinous crime targeting the health of civilians and the social fabric*

We express our deep concern and condemnation over the discovery of narcotic pills of the type “Oxycodone” inside flour bags that reached citizens from the so-called “American-Israeli aid centers,” known as “death traps.” We have so far documented four testimonies from citizens who found these pills inside flour bags. More serious is the possibility that some of these narcotic substances were deliberately ground or dissolved in the flour itself, which increases the scope of the crime and transforms it into a serious attack directly targeting public health.

We hold the “Israeli” occupation fully responsible for this heinous crime of spreading addiction and destroying the Palestinian social fabric from within, as part of a systematic policy that constitutes an extension of the crime of genocide carried out by the occupation against our Palestinian people. The Israeli occupation’s use of drugs as a soft weapon in a dirty war against civilians, and its exploitation of the blockade to smuggle these substances as “aid and assistance,” constitutes a war crime and a serious violation of international humanitarian law.

Oxycodone in flour for Gaza: a direct threat to public health

The statement pointed to the serious possibility that these pills had been deliberately ground or dissolved into the flour itself, posing a direct and serious threat to public health in the Gaza Strip.

The office described the incident as a “heinous crime” that directly targets Palestinian civilians and undermines the social fabric and safety of the community, given the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Strip.

Footage showing the discovery of “Oxycodone 80mg” tablets bearing the code “G 80”, hidden inside tin foil, during the inspection of bags of flour that were later stolen and sold in Gaza markets, spread on social media.

Dr. Khalil Mazen Abu Nada and pharmacist Omar Hamad from Gaza also confirmed the discovery of this type of drug in aid shipments, noting that the flour was sometimes mixed with oxycodone.

What is oxycodone?

Oxycodone is a highly effective opioid analgesic used to treat acute and chronic pain, such as that caused by cancer or major surgery, according to drugs.com.

This drug is considered a highly dangerous narcotic, as it gives a feeling of euphoria and satisfaction that can lead to severe addiction and affects the central nervous system, causing impaired cognition, slow heartbeat, and life-threatening respiratory depression.

Oxycodone is subject to strict international regulations and is only available with a valid prescription. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that this drug was the leading cause of drug-related deaths in the United States in 2011.

Featured image via the Canary

By Alaa Shamali

This post was originally published on Canary.