The devastating humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached a critical point, with reports confirming the killing of sixty-two Palestinians by Israeli forces since Saturday morning, many while desperately seeking vital aid.
Hospital sources within the besieged enclave have conveyed to Al Jazeera that among the deceased are thirty-eight Palestinians targeted at aid distribution sites, specifically those operated by the contentious United States and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).
These latest civilian casualties underscore a grim reality, occurring even as Israel had recently declared the implementation of ‘tactical pauses’ in military operations in certain areas, ostensibly to facilitate improved humanitarian access for the beleaguered Palestinian population.
Despite these announced pauses, the scale of fatalities among aid seekers remains alarmingly high. The United Nations Human Rights Office in the occupied Palestinian territory reported on Friday that a staggering 105 Palestinians were killed while attempting to access food on Wednesday and Thursday alone, painting a stark picture of the persistent dangers.
The cumulative death toll for Palestinians killed while seeking aid has reached at least 1,373 as of Friday, according to the human rights office. Furthermore, Gaza’s Ministry of Health figures indicate that 169 Palestinians, including 93 children, have succumbed to starvation or malnutrition since the conflict began in October 2023, highlighting the severe deprivation.
Disturbing accounts from residents within the enclave describe numerous instances where Israeli soldiers and American security contractors, reportedly hired by the GHF, deliberately fired upon aid seekers in the vicinity of distribution points, raising serious concerns about the conduct of operations.
Amidst escalating international condemnation over the dire conditions in Gaza, Israel has recently permitted limited aid airdrops by several nations. However, humanitarian organizations, including the UN aid agency UNRWA, consistently warn that such measures are grossly insufficient, vehemently advocating for unimpeded land access for assistance.
Further exacerbating the crisis, a Palestine Red Crescent Society staffer was tragically killed, and three others wounded, in an Israeli attack on their headquarters in Khan Younis, as reported by the aid group. The pervasive shortages mean that available food in markets is scarce and exorbitantly priced, forcing Palestinians to undertake perilous journeys for basic necessities.
Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, articulated on Saturday that Gaza is enduring a famine largely ‘shaped’ by attempts to supersede the established UN-led aid system with the ‘politically motivated’ GHF, intensifying the debate over humanitarian frameworks in the region.
