Gaza’s Health Ministry reported two additional deaths from famine and malnutrition in the past 24 hours, bringing the total hunger-related deaths to 271, including 112 children, amid Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.
The Israeli military has intensified its attacks on Gaza City, planning to seize the area and forcibly displace nearly one million people while systematically demolishing Palestinian homes.
This escalation exacerbates an already dire humanitarian situation, where access to food, healthcare, and shelter is increasingly scarce, pushing the population to the brink of survival.
The intensified Israeli operations in Gaza City are worsening an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
The Red Cross has warned that these actions will lead to more killing, displacement, and destruction in a region where residents are trapped with dwindling access to essentials like food and safe water.
Christian Cardon of the International Committee of the Red Cross called the situation “intolerable,” highlighting the growing insecurity for humanitarian workers.
Meanwhile, UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini noted a sixfold increase in child malnutrition since March, warning that a planned offensive could “condemn” malnourished children without a crisis plan.
The destruction of nearly 80 percent of aid facilities, as reported by Amjad Shawa of the Palestinian NGOs Network, has left Gaza’s population with few options for survival.
Israel’s push to seize Gaza City is seen by critics as a politically driven move with devastating consequences.
Gideon Levy, a Haaretz columnist, described the operation as the “beginning of an ethnic cleansing of Gaza,” noting Israel’s refusal to engage with a ceasefire proposal from Hamas.
Al Jazeera’s Rory Challands reported that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s insistence on expediting the offensive, despite military concerns about readiness, underscores its political nature.
This is inherently a political military operation.It was demanded by PM Netanyahu. His generals didn’t really want it. They pushed back, saying it was a trap for the military, that the military was tired after nearly two years of fighting, and wasn’t ready for it. But Netanyahu wanted it.
The operation risks failure due to an exhausted military and shifting Israeli public opinion against the war.
Meanwhile, only 250 aid trucks entered Gaza in three days, far below the needed 1,800, with vital food items blocked, intensifying the starvation crisis.