Shafaq News – Gaza

More than 18 Palestinians were killed in the Gaza Strip since dawn on Saturday in Israeli airstrikes and gunfire, as international agencies warn of a worsening humanitarian crisis.

According to Palestinian media, the victims included four people shot while trying to obtain food aid in the Netzarim corridor in central Gaza and several others in a strike on a house in al-Nuseirat refugee camp. In a separate case, an infant, Rania Ghaban, succumbed to malnutrition amid the collapse of medical services, as bed occupancy has reached 300 percent of capacity in hospitals.

The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that Israel’s campaign since October 7, 2023, has killed 63,025 Palestinians and injured 159,490. The figures include at least 2,000 deaths in incidents linked to the search for food and more than 16,000 injuries, with famine and malnutrition responsible for hundreds of fatalities, including over 100 children.

Acting Director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza Sam Rose highlighted what she called the relentless suffering caused by bombings, displacement, starvation, and fear, saying, “Just think for a minute about what that means for any human being, but what it means for parents, what it means for children who’ve grown up knowing nothing but this.”

UN Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini warned that “the more we wait, the more people will be dying in Gaza,” pointing to a major Israeli military operation that is compounding the devastation.

“There must be immediate political will to save lives of the people in Gaza.”

The agency also urged Israel to lift its ban on humanitarian aid, noting that its warehouses in Egypt and Jordan are stocked with supplies sufficient to fill around 6,000 trucks. “We are ready to deliver life-saving aid at scale,” UNRWA affirmed, calling for immediate access by road to Gaza.