The world in 3 photos: A Palestinian boy, a Thai Paralympian and an endangered goat
Photos capture images of a Paralympian preparing for this year’s summer games, an animal affected by climate change and a little boy in war-torn Gaza.
A Palestinian boy hauls humanitarian aid along a desolate road in central Gaza; a Paralympic athlete from Thailand prepares to compete for gold; and a Sicilian-bred goat stands on the brink of extinction. Here’s why these three pictures matter right now.
Evacuation orders in Gaza complicate humanitarian aid delivery
Photographer Eyad Baba captured this image of a Palestinian boy in the central Gaza Strip city of Deir al-Balah on Tuesday. He is seen dragging several items, including canisters and large white sacks, similar to those used in humanitarian aid deliveries to distribute food.
Israel has ordered several evacuations across Gaza in recent days, including Sunday in Deir al-Balah, where the United Nations prepared to give about 640,000 children polio vaccinations.
The next day, the U.N. paused aid deliveries in Gaza over safety concerns. According to the U.N. Sustainable Development Group, up to 90% of Gaza’s population has been displaced by the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas fighters.
Sam Rose, the senior deputy field director for the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), told reporters Monday, according to Reuters, that the ability of the U.N. humanitarian system to operate in Gaza “is becoming increasingly difficult.”
Rose added that about a million Palestinians a month lack food because of the challenges humanitarian trucks face crossing into Gaza.
2024 Paralympics opening
The 2024 Paralympic Games kicked off in Paris on Wednesday. Photojournalist Emilio Morenatti captured 50-year-old Kaewsri Charkorn, a swimmer from Thailand, for the Associated Press. Charkorn is shown here putting on his goggles with his foot at a training session, one day before the games begin.
Charkorn has competed in every Paralympic Summer Games since 2012, swimming in the men's various freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and individual medley races.
This year’s Summer Games are the first in the French capital and will feature more than 4,000 athletes from around the world competing across 22 sports. The event will run until Sept. 8.
Sicily struggles from a severe drought
Reuters photographer Louiza Vradi captured this image of a Girgentana goat on an organic farm in the midst of a severe drought in Caltanissetta, Italy, on Sunday. The Sicilian goat breed is now in danger of becoming extinct as a result of a water shortage on the island brought on by almost a year without rainfall.
"The grazing land is zero," Luca Cammarata, a local goat breeder, told Reuters.
Residents of the city have been without running water for two months and have had to ration water from tankers in Sicilian towns. The droughts in the Mediterranean island, which is accustomed to long periods without rain, are now lasting longer and becoming more frequent.
In May, Italy declared a state of emergency in order to address the water scarcity until the rainy season in the fall.
