At least 42 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, while the death toll from starvation and malnutrition has risen to 217 since the recent conflict broke out in October 2023, reported Xinhua.
Mahmoud Basal, the spokesperson of Gaza Civil Defense, told Xinhua that among the casualties, 18 people were killed while trying to obtain food near U.S.-backed aid distribution centers across the enclave, including the Zikim crossing in the north, the Netzarim junction in central Gaza, and the southern Rafah city.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army on these incidents.
According to a statement issued by health authorities on Sunday, hospitals in the Strip recorded five new deaths due to starvation and malnutrition over the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll due to starvation and malnutrition to 217, including 100 children.
Hamas-run media office reported that only 95 aid trucks entered the territory Saturday, most of which were looted and robbed amidst the "deliberate security chaos" created by the "Israeli occupation as part of its policy of engineering starvation and chaos."
The office stated in a statement that the total number of trucks entering the Gaza Strip over 14 days was only 1,210, out of the intended 8,400, representing approximately 14 percent of the actual needs.
Meanwhile, aid delivery efforts reportedly continued.
On Sunday, Egypt sent its 11th humanitarian aid convoy to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing under the "Zad al-Izza (Provision of Honor): From Egypt to Gaza" initiative organized by the Egyptian Red Crescent, which began on July 27, according to Egyptian state TV.
The convoy comprises dozens of trucks loaded with large quantities of food and relief items, including flour, infant formula, and medical and pharmaceutical supplies, according to the report.
So far, 50 trucks of the convoy have crossed into the Kerem Shalom crossing for inspection by the Israeli side before being delivered to the Palestinian Red Crescent, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and Gazan local community groups for distribution, it added.
Also on Sunday, aircraft from Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands, and Belgium conducted a joint airdrop operation, delivering 93 tonnes of food and humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, according to a statement from the Jordan Armed Forces.
Since Israel resumed its intensified military campaign on March 18, at least 9,921 Palestinians have been killed and 41,172 injured, bringing the overall death toll in Gaza since the war began in October 2023 to 61,430, with a total of 153,213 people injured, according to health authorities in Gaza on Sunday.
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
