UPDATES DEATH TOLL
By Ikram Kouachi
At least 11 Palestinians, including five who died from starvation, were killed and several others wounded Sunday in separate Israeli strikes and live-fire incidents across the Gaza Strip.
Five Palestinians, including two children, died in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours due to famine and malnutrition, the Health Ministry in Gaza said in a statement.
The latest deaths brought the total number of people who have died from starvation-related causes since the start of the crisis to 217, among them 100 children, according to the ministry.
Gaza’s health authorities have repeatedly warned that the Israeli blockade, combined with the ongoing military offensives, has left large parts of the population without access to adequate food, water, and medical care.
Separately, four civilians were killed in central Khan Younis when an Israeli drone targeted a gathering, medical sources told Anadolu.
In another incident near the Netzarim corridor, Israeli forces opened fire on a group of people waiting for humanitarian aid, killing two and injuring others.
Further south, in another part of Khan Younis, more civilians were killed and wounded after Israeli gunfire struck a group of aid seekers.
Local health officials have repeatedly warned that attacks on aid distribution points are exacerbating Gaza’s worsening humanitarian crisis, where famine looms amid an Israeli blockade.
Israel has kept all Gaza crossings closed since March 2, blocking aid convoys despite hundreds of trucks waiting at the border. Only small amounts have been allowed in, far below the level needed to avert famine.
The World Food Program says one-third of Gaza’s population has gone several days without eating, calling the situation “unprecedented” in its levels of hunger and desperation. The UN estimates hundreds of aid trucks must enter daily to end the famine caused by the blockade and war.
Israel has been facing mounting outrage over its deadly war on Gaza, where more than 61,300 people have been killed since October 2023. The military campaign has devastated the enclave and brought it to the verge of famine.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.