Israel’s military announced the start of its planned assault on Gaza City, where close to a million people are still living in danger, and at least 81 Palestinians have been killed since dawn.
On Wednesday, three more Palestinians died in the besieged enclave, bringing the total number of hunger-related deaths to 269, including 112 children.
In southern Gaza, an Israeli attack on a tent that housed Palestinians was one that resulted in the death of three people.
Mohammed Shaalan, a well-known former national basketball player from Palestine, was just the latest victim of a shooting by Israeli forces in southern Gaza at GHF aid distribution points. On Wednesday, at least 30 aid workers were killed.
Gaza has been plagued by famine as a result of Israel’s punishing blockade and ongoing assault.
In light of Israel’s ongoing aid embargo, the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) warned that in Gaza, malnutrition is rising. This is not just hunger, says the author. WFP called this “starvation”
Malnutrition is a silent killer, according to the organization, which claims that it causes “lifelong developmental damage” and weakens immune systems, making common illnesses deadly.
Not just hunger, either. This means that you are starving.
More mothers and children are exhibiting severe signs of malnutrition in #Gaza, which is fast rising.
A silent killer, malnutrition:
weakens immune systems, making common illnesses fatal.
Symptoms of stunting and lifelong developmental damage… twitter.com/nEmqSsJX7M
Nearly one in every three Palestinian children in Gaza City, according to the UNRWA, are currently malnourished.
A number of Israeli government talking points that aim to minimize and omit responsibility for the Gaza-wide starvation crisis have been refuted by Israeli rights group Gisha.
Gisha claims that Israel has used its control over aid entry as a weapon of war since the start of its military offensive despite Israel’s claim that the UN is to blame for the lack of humanitarian aid entering the Gaza Strip.
The transfer of aid to Gaza is almost impossible because of the conditions created by Israel, it said.
UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, has reaffirmed its demands for an immediate ceasefire and described the conditions in which its staff members are employed in Gaza.
Dr. Hind, a physician for UNRWA in Gaza, said, “We are working in terrible conditions.”
Another health worker claimed that before working to deliver care to “our people in dire need of help,” staff members frequently “walked farther” “under the scorching sun” to their posts.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s civil defense has raised concerns about the magnitude of the fuel crisis in the region, alleging that it is preventing it from responding to emergency and rescue situations.
Our vehicles have frequently stopped while traveling to missions, some due to fuel shortages and others to a lack of maintenance spare parts, according to a civil defense statement. “The Israeli extermination war is currently threatening an escalation, which presents significant humanitarian challenges for us.”
Another “mass displacement” wave
As Israel’s military prepares to seize Gaza City, which has been the target of constant attacks for the past few weeks, it has announced that it will call up 60, 000 reservists in the coming weeks. According to a military spokesman, the city’s initial stages of assault have already begun.
Nearly one million Palestinians are reportedly trapped there, according to reports from Israeli tanks, who have been advancing closer to the city’s center this week. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern over the army’s actions in Gaza City, which he claimed would lead to another wave of people being internally displaced since the war started.
According to Hani Mahmoud, a journalist for Al Jazeera from Gaza City, Israeli forces have been launching more attacks on both Jabalia in the north and Zeitoun in Gaza City.
“That includes home demolitions that are ongoing,” she said. The Israeli military employs a very effective strategy that focuses on removing people from the Gaza Strip’s population from basic amenities, according to Mahmoud.
He continued, “People are leaving behind their belongings and the food they managed to get in the last few weeks.”
The Israeli Defense Ministry’s approval of the plan to seize Gaza City has been condemned by relatives of Israeli prisoners who are held there, and Hamas has accused the government of ignoring a ceasefire proposal that was “a stab in the heart of the families and the public in Israel.”
Hamas claims that Israel’s military’s invasion of Gaza City is a clear indication that it intends to “continue its brutal war against innocent civilians” and that it wants to obliterate and drive its residents out of the Palestinian city.
The Palestinian group claimed that “Netanyahu’s disregard for the mediators’ proposal and his failure to respond to it demonstrate that he is the real obstructor of any agreement, that he cares about the lives of [Israeli captives] and that he is not interested in their return,” according to the Palestinian group.
The Gaza City offensive was announced earlier this month amid concerns about a further forced exodus of Palestinians and increased international condemnation of Israel’s ban on food and medicine reaching Gaza.
Ahmed Alhendawi, the regional director of Save the Children, said in an interview that “what we’re seeing in Gaza is nothing short of apocalyptic reality for children, their families, and for this generation.” Beyond words, the suffering and struggle of this generation in Gaza are unheard of.
Mediators are still working to end the 22-month conflict.
Qatar and Egypt have said they have been anticipating Israel’s response to the Hamas-agreed proposal.
A 60-day truce, a gradual exodus of Palestinian prisoners, and expanded aid access are all mentioned in the most recent framework.
The proposal, which is supported by the United States, has not been publicly commented on by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He argued last week that any agreement must “assure that all hostages are released immediately and in accordance with our conditions for ending the war.” The far-right government is reportedly sticking to that line, according to reports.
Marwan Bishara, a senior political analyst for Al Jazeera, said Arab nations must press Israel to accept a ceasefire.
The Israelis are reportedly of two minds: one is recalling the reserve forces, issuing the plans, and supporting the plans to immediately occupy the Gaza Strip and [transferring its people from the north to the south in preparation for an ethnic cleansing of Gaza.
On the other hand, “there is of course the domestic pressure,” Bishara said, “and] the notion that Israel could bring some hostages back to life and participate in some kind of longer]-term] agreement.”
“I believe the Israelis will likely choose the first scenario, under the pressure of Arabs,” he said.
Source: Aljazeera
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