Israeli attacks kill at least 31 as Gaza blockade accelerates starvation

At least 31 people have been killed by Israeli attacks on Gaza, as a result of its more than two-month-long siege and bombardment of the besieged and bombarded enclave, which has intensified the Palestinian population’s hunger.

On Wednesday, a strike that targeted al-Karama School in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City killed 13 people and scattered across the country.

In a house explosion in Jabalia, three more people were killed and several others were hurt in the north, as well.

A father, his children, and cousins were also killed, five of whom were killed in a home explosion in Khan Younis city in the south.

In Deir el-Balah, in the center of Gaza Strip, a tent shelter was struck, killing three more people, including a young person. In Bani Suheila village, east of the Strip, a house was struck, along with a husband and wife.

The attacks follow an Israeli attack on a school in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Strip that left 31 people dead and dozens wounded, according to Gaza’s civil defense agency, on Tuesday night.

Since March 2, the enclave has been without fuel and food, and there has been a worsening shortage of flour due to an Israeli blockade that has intensified the attacks. According to aid organizations, food supplies are nearly completely gone.

A mother of six who are sheltered at a Gaza-area UNRWA facility reported to the agency that they were running out of bread.

On Wednesday, UNRWA wrote on X that “the State of Israel must end the siege.”

It further stated that “a concerted international effort is required to stop this humanitarian catastrophe from reaching a new unseen level.”

At least 88 percent of the beds in hospitals are occupied, and there is a shortage of medical disposables, which also affects Gaza’ health sector.

talks on a ceasefire

Egypt and Qatar, who both helped negotiate the first ceasefire agreement with the United States, reiterated their commitment to a deal that would “unprecedented humanitarian crisis and alleviate the suffering of civilians by creating the conditions necessary for achieving a comprehensive ceasefire” on Wednesday morning.

The two nations emphasize that attempts to cause animosity between brotherly countries, whether through the casting of doubt, distortion, or media escalation, will not succeed, and neither will they stop them from pursuing joint efforts to end the conflict and the resulting humanitarian catastrophe, according to a joint statement. The nations added that they were working with the US to arrive at a deal.

Hamas claimed that talks were useless because Israel announced a new, more intense military offensive would start in Gaza without a ceasefire agreement.

As long as the Gaza Strip’s hunger war and extermination war continue, Hamas official Basem Naim told the AFP news agency on Tuesday, “There is no point in holding talks or considering new ceasefire proposals.”