The ongoing tragedy of death and starvation continues to unfold in Gaza, with daily reports of casualties emerging alongside Israeli warnings for residents to evacuate neighborhoods in preparation for airstrikes. While there is a glimmer of hope as food trucks manage to deliver supplies, the amounts are woefully inadequate to address the severe shortages.
The Israeli military is reportedly gearing up to commence the final phase of Operation “Gideon’s Chariots” in the coming days. According to Kan Hebrew Channel, this next stage will involve deploying thousands of soldiers into the region with the aim of occupying additional territories and executing large-scale evacuations of residents to the southern parts of Gaza.
Yesterday, at least 52 Palestinians lost their lives due to Israeli airstrikes targeting various locations in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military issued an urgent evacuation notice for 14 neighborhoods in northern Gaza, including Beit Lahiya and the Jabalia refugee camp. Mohammad al-Mughayer, the head of medical supplies for the civil defense, stated, “Fifty-two fatalities and dozens of injuries have been reported from air raids conducted by Israel across several areas in the Gaza Strip since dawn.”
Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson, Avichai Adrai, called for the evacuation of the 14 northern neighborhoods in a message on social media. Palestinian officials indicated that flour and other food aid would begin reaching some of Gaza’s most desperate residents within hours, but the quantities are insufficient to compensate for the severe scarcity caused by the ongoing blockade that has lasted for 11 weeks.
Amjad al-Shawa, director of the Palestinian NGO Network in Gaza, reported that some bakeries have started receiving flour to begin bread production for distribution. He added, “Only 90 trucks have entered the area, while during the ceasefire, 600 trucks were coming in daily. This means that the current supplies are merely a drop in the ocean, or essentially nothing.” He highlighted that bakeries supported by the United Nations World Food Programme will oversee the bread production with program staff handling the distribution, a more controlled process than before when bakeries sold bread directly to residents at lower prices.
Stalled Aid
The Palestinian Red Crescent has announced that residents of Gaza have yet to receive the aid that arrived in trucks crossing the border this week, deeming the limited number of incoming trucks as a death sentence due to the risk of looting.
Younis al-Khateeb, president of the Palestinian Red Crescent, stated that he could prove that no one has received assistance. He noted that the aid had not reached civilians and that most of those trucks are still at the Kerem Shalom crossing, undergoing inspections without having entered Gaza.
Moreover, Palestinian Health Minister Majed Abu Ramadan revealed that 29 children and elderly individuals have died from hunger-related causes in Gaza over the past two days, with thousands more at risk.
Initially, Abu Ramadan informed reporters that 29 children had perished in those two days due to starvation, but he later clarified that this figure includes elderly individuals and children. In response to comments made by a UN official suggesting that 14,000 infants could die without aid, he remarked, “The figure of 14,000 is quite realistic, possibly less than the actual number.” He indicated that only 7 or 8 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza are functioning partially, and over 90% of medical supplies have been depleted due to the blockade. The information he has suggests that between 90 and 100 aid trucks have entered the southern and central regions of Gaza, exclusively delivering flour for bakeries.