Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed at least 53 Palestinians, including a woman and her four children, in a single day, despite the Israeli military’s announcement of “humanitarian pauses” to allow aid deliveries.
The assault, which targeted an apartment in Gaza City, occurred shortly after a tactical pause began, underscoring the persistent violence amid a worsening hunger crisis.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that since October 2023, over 59,821 Palestinians have been killed and 144,851 wounded, with 133 deaths attributed to starvation, including 87 children.
Israel’s blockade on Gaza, enforced for months, has driven nearly half a million Palestinians into famine-like conditions, with one-third of the population not eating for days, according to the World Food Programme.
The agency notes that while it has enough food to sustain Gaza’s 2.1 million people for three months, Israel’s restrictions severely limit aid delivery.
Humanitarian convoys face delays, rerouting, and attacks, with warehouses and distribution centers damaged by Israeli forces.
Former UNRWA spokesperson Chris Gunness criticized the blockade, stating:
Gaza’s land borders must immediately be opened 24/7, making these undignified airdrops unnecessary. Let’s not forget that over 100 people have been starved to death by Israel. [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu must face international justice for the crime of starvation.
The Israeli military’s announcement of daily 10-hour pauses in al-Mawasi, Deir el-Balah, and Gaza City, alongside “secure routes” for UN convoys, has done little to alleviate the crisis.
Aid trucks, such as the seven to ten carrying flour to northern Gaza, are often looted by desperate crowds before reaching their destinations.
Airdrops, described by Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh as “good optics” for Israel, are inadequate and dangerous, with parcels dropped in remote areas causing injuries and deaths.
Liz Allcock of Medical Aid for Palestinians described the starvation’s scale as “a barbaric indictment” of Israel’s failure to meet its obligations, noting that 25 percent of Gazans face acute malnutrition.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’s aid sites, backed by Israel and the US, have become deadly, with over 1,000 Palestinians killed while seeking food.
The international community has intensified calls for Israel to lift aid restrictions, with France, Germany, and the UK demanding unhindered deliveries.
Israeli MP Ram Ben-Barak warned that Israel risks becoming a “pariah state” due to its actions.
Humanitarian organizations, including over 100 aid groups, have called for a permanent ceasefire to address the crisis.
Dr. Munir al-Bursh of Gaza’s Health Ministry emphasized the urgency, stating:
Amid a temporary truce suffocated by hesitation and international silence, the wounded are crying out for help, children are starving, and mothers are collapsing over the ruins of what remains of life.