The death toll in Gaza from the Israeli war crossed the 31,000-mark, as the genocidal Israeli onslaught completed 157 days. With the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Israeli aerial bombardment and ground attacks are set to intensify. Israeli forces had previously announced an invasion of the Southern Gazan city of Rafah, where around 1.4 million Palestinians have taken refuge and are effectively trapped with nowhere else to go after being displaced from other areas. Israeli authorities have reiterated their plans to invade Rafah, defying universal opposition and condemnation of such a military action, owing to the extremely high risk of civilian casualties and suffering that such an invasion would bring.
The first day of Ramadan in Gaza was marked amid widespread hunger and starvation due to acute shortages of food, water and other humanitarian aid. UNRWA, UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, warned that “hunger is everywhere” in Gaza, and reiterated their call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the unrestricted entry of aid.
Despite the month of Ramadan starting, multiple resolutions in the United Nations as well as provisional measures from the International Court of Justice calling for an increase in the delivery of aid to Gaza, there has not been any substantial increase. Since the beginning of the war, Israel has continued to block and disrupt the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. On several occasions, Israel has attacked aid trucks and convoys, and even fired on Palestinian civilians waiting to collect aid, killing and injuring hundreds of them in multiple instances.
Read more: Israel’s choice for Palestinians: starve or be killed
In the wake of the deteriorating and dire humanitarian situation and the widespread shortage of aid across Gaza, several countries, such as the United States and Jordan, have conducted air drops of food aid into Northern Gaza. Morocco is also reportedly planning to begin airdrops of humanitarian aid into Gaza, as Israel continues to hamper aid deliveries through land, which many experts and rights groups have said is the best way to supply food, medicines and other critical supplies urgently needed by Palestinian civilians in Gaza. The US and the European Union (EU) have reportedly also established maritime routes to send aid ships to Gaza to alleviate the humanitarian situation.
A number of countries, such as Sweden and Canada, have announced that they will resume their funding to the UNRWA, which was halted following Israeli unsubstantiated claims that UNRWA staff were members of Hamas and other Palestinian resistance groups. The Palestinian foreign ministry has welcomed the decision of the two countries, following in the footsteps of several others, who resumed funding after no clear evidence was presented by the Israelis to back up their allegations against the UNRWA.
Meanwhile, in the continuing Israeli bombardment today, dozens of Palestinians were killed and injured in airstrikes and ground attacks in Rafah, the Nuseirat refugee camp, Gaza city, Khan Younis, al-Shati refugee camp, Deir al-Balah, among other areas across Gaza. Over the weekend, Israeli forces killed at least 167 Palestinians and wounded at least 252 others.
The death toll in Gaza since the beginning of the Israeli war on October 7, 2023, has risen to at least 31,112 Palestinians killed, along with at least 72,760 Palestinians injured. Additionally, the Ministry of Health reported that two more children died of malnutrition and starvation in the Kamal Adwan hospital in Northern Gaza, taking the total number of those killed by malnutrition and hunger-related causes to 27.
As the Israeli assault on Gaza continues, Egypt today said that it is in touch with Hamas and Israel both to resume ceasefire talks which were suspended last week after a breakdown due to Israeli side’s unwillingness to make compromises and agree to some of Hamas’ core demands, including ending the war, withdrawing all troops and lifting the illegal Israeli siege.
