Local health officials said Israel killed at least 23 people, including 10 families, on Thursday, and Israel went on strike in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, the ongoing impact of the UN’s seven-week lockdown on Israel has raised alarms to prevent all food and other supplies from entering the territory.
Israel ended a ceasefire with Hamas last month and rebombed the bombing, killing hundreds of people and capturing much of the territory to force militants to accept changes to the deal.
Nasser Hospital said the strike in the southern city of Khan Younis killed five children, four women and a man, who all suffered severe burns. According to Indonesian hospitals, a strike in northern Gaza killed 13 people, including nine children.
The Israeli military said it tried to avoid harming civilians and blamed Hamas for their deaths because it operates in residential areas. No immediate comments were made to the latest strike.
The UN Humanitarian Office, called OCHA, said that now almost all over 2 million people in Gaza rely on food, which is a million prepared meals produced daily by the kitchens of charity supported by aid groups.
Other food distribution plans have also been shut down due to a lack of supply, with the United Nations and other aid organizations sending their remaining shares to charity kitchens.
The only other way to get food in the Gaza Strip is from the market. However, due to soaring prices and widespread shortages, most people cannot afford to buy there, meaning humanitarian aid is the main source of food for 80% of the population.
“The Gaza Strip is now likely to face the worst humanitarian crisis since the escalation of hostilities in October 2023,” Ocha said.
Water becomes scarce in the event of food shortage
Shaina Low, a spokesman for the Norwegian Refugee Commission, said most people in Gaza are now having a meal every day. “It’s much less than needed,” she said.
Water is also becoming increasingly scarce, with Palestinians standing in long rows, filling them with Jerry jars from trucks. Omar Shatat, an official with local hydropower tools, said people fell to six to seven liters a day, much lower than the United Nations estimates needed to meet basic needs.
Israeli Defense Minister Katz said on Wednesday that preventing humanitarian aid is one of the “central pressure strategies” against Hamas, which Israel accused of aiding aid to maintain its rule.
Israel demanded that Hamas release more hostages at the start of any new ceasefire and eventually agree to disarm and leave the territory. Katz said that even afterwards, Israel will continue to occupy the large “safety zone” inside Gaza.
Hamas currently holds 59 hostages, 24 of whom are considered alive. It said it would only return them in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners, Israel’s entire evacuation from Gaza and a lasting truce, which was required by a ceasefire agreement that had been revoked earlier this year.
Hani Almadhoun, co-founder of Gaza Soup Kitchen, said his kitchen still has about three weeks of food.
“But the food is loose. We have pasta and rice, but nothing else. There is no fresh produce. There is no chicken or beef. The only thing we have is canned meat.” He said 15 to 20% of people who come to his kitchen to eat food came home empty-handed.
Amputee Hind and her sister Heba Al-Hourani, among hundreds of injured patients, were forced to evacuate the Arab Baptist Baptist Hospital after Israel warned that it would attack the building. Israel claims it has a Hamas command and control center without evidence. Hamas denied the charges.
The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped 251 people. Since then, most hostages have been released in a ceasefire agreement or other transactions.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, the Israeli attack killed more than 51,000 Palestinians, mainly women and children, which does not say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. Israel said it has killed about 20,000 militants and provided no evidence.
The war destroyed much of Gaza and most of its food production capacity. The war has replaced about 90% of the population, with thousands living in tent camps and bombed buildings.
