In the past 24 hours, three Palestinians have died of starvation in Gaza, raising the hunger-related death toll to 269, including 112 children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Israeli attacks across the territory have killed at least 56 Palestinians, including 22 aid seekers, and injured 185 others during the same period.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s genocide has claimed 62,122 lives and left 156,758 injured, with the ministry reporting two additional bodies recovered from the rubble of prior strikes.
The introduction of a US-based aid distribution mechanism on May 27 has failed to alleviate suffering, with 2,018 aid seekers killed and 14,947 injured since its implementation.
Gaza’s Civil Defence, crippled by a severe fuel crisis, struggles to respond to emergencies, receiving only a tenth of the 15,000 litres of fuel needed this month.
Israel’s military operations have surged, particularly in Gaza City, where heavy artillery has levelled rows of homes in the eastern districts.
The Sabra neighbourhood has seen over 450 homes destroyed, with tower blocks reduced to rubble, rendering areas uninhabitable.
Al Jazeera's Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Deir el-Balah, described a sleepless night of Israeli drones and warplanes attacking homes and makeshift camps in zones Israel had designated as safe.
In al-Mawasi, a Palestinian father recounted losing his children in an air strike that tore through their tent, killing them as they slept.
Civil Defence crews conducted 33 rescue missions in the past 24 hours, including evacuations and recoveries across Gaza, with strikes killing and wounding dozens in Jabalia, Nuseirat, and Khan Younis.
Trauma and Starvation Grip Gaza’s Children
The relentless violence and starvation have left Gaza’s children profoundly traumatised, with many orphaned and facing acute hunger.
Dr Gwenno Jones, senior case manager with Children Not Numbers, reported that children are fainting at school due to hunger, heat, and famine, compounded by the psychological toll of losing family and homes.
In al-Mawasi, a supposed safe zone, displaced families mourned loved ones killed in Israeli strikes.
Majed al-Mashoukhi, a grieving father, said, “My family is gone, my daughter is gone, along with her husband and children. They have been erased. Only their memory remains, their pictures, our memories.”
Samia al-Masri, a Gaza resident, described the chaos, saying, “I was in shock and went to the hospital. I had a breakdown. Children were crying, girls were crying. There was sound everywhere, fear and tension.”
Israel’s actions, including the destruction of homes and attacks on aid seekers, continue to deepen Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe, with no immediate relief in sight.