An estimated 800,000 residents are facing death by starvation and thirst amid Israel’s ongoing siege and continuous bombardment of the Gaza Strip, according to the Gaza Media Office.
In a statement on Saturday, the Media Office said that Gaza City and the north of the enclave “need 1,300 food trucks daily to overcome the hunger crisis, with 600 trucks for the north and 700 for Gaza city.”
It said Israel “is speeding up the pace of a real famine” which has resulted “in the deaths of 14 people seeking food.” It did not provide details of the deaths.
The media office also highlighted the Israeli army’s continued prevention of “aid, supplies, food, and provisions from entering the governorates, as well as shooting at trucks attempting to reach them, targeting drinking water pipelines and wells, and hindering all aspects of life.”
“The international community, including the United States and Israel, is held fully responsible for the catastrophic consequences of famine and death,” the statement added.
It went on to demand “an immediate halt to this brutal war.”
Access to Aid Difficult, Despite UN Pleas
Marking 100 days since October 7, the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner issued a statement saying that “It is a desperate scenario in northern Gaza, where people face dire shortages of food, water and other basic necessities.”
The statement added that “access to humanitarian aid remains extremely difficult, despite repeated pleas by the UN to the IDF to facilitate movement of humanitarian aid convoys.”
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk reiterated in a statement on X that “there must be an immediate ceasefire – on human rights and humanitarian grounds. This is more urgent than ever.”
Scores of Palestinians Killed as Israel’s War on Gaza Reaches 100-Day Mark
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has continued to close the crossings which allow entry into Gaza.
The Rafah crossing is partially opened for limited aid entry, the exit of dozens of patients and injured individuals and foreign passport holders, reports the Anadolu news agency.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 23,968 Palestinians have been killed, and 60,582 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Palestinian and international estimates say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
(PC, Anadolu)
