The humanitarian situation in north Gaza is deteriorating by the hour, with scores of its residents barely surviving, as Israel’s siege and bombing campaign enters its 23rd day. An official of Oxfam accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon against the people of Gaza , as this NGO hasn’t been able so far to deliver aid into the airstrikes.
Mahmoud Alsaqqa, the food security and livelihood lead for Oxfam in Gaza, gave a stern warning that many Palestinians are “starving to death” and that things may soon get even worse in the coming days. He indicated that its residents have been without supplies for weeks, wholly dependent on the aid, which has recently been drastically curbed.
Reports say that, overall, 96 percent of Gaza’s people face acute food insecurity. UNICEF says nine out of ten children lack food. At least 37 children reportedly died this past year because of malnutrition or dehydration.
The United Nations says that Israel has since the war began, blocked 83 percent of food aid from entering Gaza. It also adds that there are 50,000 children under five years of age who need immediate medical attention for malnutrition.
On Sunday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “an immediate ceasefire, the release of hostages, and accountability for violations of international law.” He underlined that military operations conducted in the northern part of the Gaza Strip have brought about unimaginable conditions of life for the Palestinian civilian population, adding, “The conflict is ongoing with minimal respect for humanitarian principles.”.
Meanwhile, humanitarian officials have expressed alarm over the continuing ground assault, which has forced at least tens of thousands of people from their homes as Israel intensifies its bombardment of northern Gaza neighborhoods. At least 35 were killed in strikes on Saturday alone in Beit Lahiya, with others reported from elsewhere in the areas under attack.
The Health Ministry in Gaza reported an estimated 800 Palestinians killed as of the ongoing siege. Reports from Deir el-Balah, for instance, say that at least 35 people are still missing, presumably trapped under the rubble or killed by the power of the bombings. Similarly, in Jabalia on Sunday morning, an airstrike produced several casualties.
Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, warned on social media that Gaza’s entire civilian population risks extinction under what she described as a “genocide.” This comes against the backdrop of similar concerns raised earlier by UN humanitarian chief Joyce Msuya, who condemned the dire conditions seen by residents in northern Gaza.
International Committee of the Red Cross described it as an abhorrent situation where scores of civilians remained trapped and denied primary medical attention. The siege has grossly paralyzed health attention in the region since it has hindered access for the medical teams to reach people in distress.
Israel says it is targeting militants from Hamas, which has rearmed and reorganized its forces in the north. It says more than 40 militants have been killed in the Jabalia area in the last day and that much military infrastructure has been destroyed.
However, according to Palestinian journalist Mansour Shouman, Israel was trying to “dismantle the northern Gaza Strip area to create a free zone to be occupied by the settlements.” He referred to the heavy presence of military troops and continuous attempts at invasion to deepen this buffer zone and entrench the expansionist settlement policy in northern Gaza.
