The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said that 145 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire began on January 19 of last year.
Five Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
The latest round of Israeli violence was accompanied by warnings about the spread of famine in the Strip due to Israel’s closure of crossings.
The latest Palestinian casualties resulted from an Israeli drone strike near the Netzarim barrier, south of Gaza City, according to local media reports.
Palestinian sources said that Israeli occupation forces’ vehicles fired heavily east of Al-Qarara, south of the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health had earlier announced the killing of four Palestinians: three siblings in Al-Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip and a Palestinian woman in the town of Al-Shoka, east of Rafah city in the southern Gaza Strip.
The bodies of the siblings were taken to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah.
An Israeli drone had targeted the three yesterday as they were inspecting their destroyed homes northeast of Al-Bureij camp.
The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor said that 145 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, and 605 others have been injured since the ceasefire began on January 19 of last year.
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Hamas’ Statement
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas said that the continued closure of crossings and the prevention of aid entry for the tenth consecutive day heralds a famine in the Gaza Strip.
The movement added that the prevention of heavy machinery from entering the Strip hinders efforts to recover bodies and carry out reconstruction and rehabilitation work, especially as thousands of bodies remain buried under the rubble.
Hamas emphasized that the closure of crossings constitutes a violation of the ceasefire agreement, which stipulates facilitating the entry of aid without restrictions. The group condemned the use of aid as a “political blackmail card,” stating that “these aggressive policies will not break the will of our people.”
It further called on mediators to pressure Israel to adhere to its commitments, open the crossings, and end the policy of collective punishment against the Palestinian people.
Humanitarian Emergency
For its part, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) stated that the suspension of humanitarian support, including the halt of electricity supplies and Gaza’s only desalination plant, threatens to plunge Gaza into a severe humanitarian emergency.
The committee pointed out that, under international humanitarian law, Israel is obligated to ensure the basic needs of the civilian population under its control and must allow the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian aid and facilitate it.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) confirmed that 90% of Gaza’s population is unable to access water.
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UN agencies estimate that 1.8 million people—more than half of whom are children—urgently need water, sanitation, and health assistance.
British Minister of State for the Middle East, Himesh Faulkner, warned that cutting off electricity to Gaza threatens dire consequences. In a post on platform X, he stressed the need for desalination plants to be operational and provide clean drinking water.
He also urged Israel to restore electricity supplies and humanitarian aid to ensure its compliance with international humanitarian law.
(PC, AJA, AL-Mayadeen)
