The Palestinian Ministry of Health on Sunday said that six more Palestinians died of forced starvation and malnutrition in Gaza, amid widespread starvation as Israel continues to hinder the access to humanitarian aid while simultaneously attacking aid-seekers.
The Health Ministry said that the total number of people dying due to starvation has reached 175, including 93 children, since Israel’s war began in October 2023. Today, Israeli attacks have killed at least 22 people, including 16 people killed while seeking aid, Al Jazeera reported.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society stated that one of its staff members was killed in an Israeli strike on its headquarters in Khan Younis. This happened a day after Israel killed at least 62 people, including 38 who were seeking food aid, according to Al Jazeera.
The United Nations and other humanitarian officials stated that Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid deliveries, which was partially lifted in recent days amid growing international condemnation, have rendered Palestinians helpless and starving, who are now struggling to find food.
Israel said it is stepping up aid deliveries to Palestinians, including via airdrops.
However, humanitarian groups have mentioned that airdrops are dangerous. There have been demands for Israel to open up the crossings into Gaza for assistance to reach efficiently.
"Faced with the absolute urgency, we have just conducted a food airdrop operation in Gaza. Thank you to our Jordanian, Emirati, and German partners for their support, and to our military personnel for their commitment," President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, (UNRWA) said on Saturday “the manmade famine in Gaza has been largely shaped by the deliberate attempts to replace” UN aid systems with a contentious, US and Israeli-backed group called the GHF.
“No time to waste anymore, a political decision must be made to unconditionally open the crossings”, the UNRWA chief said on X.
As per media reports, the Israeli military has routinely fired on Palestinians who make attempts to feed at GHF-run distribution sites in Gaza. According to the UN, at least 1,300 aid seekers have been killed since the group began operating in May.
Lazzarini further stated that Israel is actively preventing the UN and other humanitarian groups from delivering aid to Palestinians, “a deliberate measure to collectively pressure and punish Palestinians for living in Gaza”.
