Over 100 dead from starvation in Gaza as aid blockade and fighting intensify
At least 15 people, including four children, have died from starvation and malnutrition in Gaza over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of hunger-related deaths to over 100 since the start of Israel’s war on the Palestinian enclave nearly 21 months ago.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, 101 people—80 of them children—have died of starvation since October 2023, as access to food and humanitarian aid remains critically restricted.
The United Nations reported on Tuesday that more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed while attempting to obtain food in Gaza, many near humanitarian aid sites. “As of July 21, we have recorded 1,054 people killed in Gaza while trying to get food; 766 near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites and 288 near UN and other humanitarian convoys,” said UN human rights office spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan, stating the deaths were caused by Israeli military fire.
The worsening crisis has prompted renewed international pressure on Israel to allow unimpeded delivery of aid.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, warned, “The last lifelines keeping people alive are collapsing.”
The World Food Program (WFP) expressed alarm, with spokesperson Ross Smith stating that one-third of Gaza’s population “is not eating for multiple days in a row,” while one in four now faces famine-like conditions.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), noted that even aid workers, journalists, doctors, and nurses are going hungry. “Many are fainting from hunger and exhaustion while carrying out their duties,” he said.
In a joint statement, 24 countries—including the UK, France, Australia, Canada, and members of the EU—called for an immediate ceasefire, warning that suffering in Gaza has reached “new depths.”
AFP, the French news agency, also announced plans to evacuate its Gaza-based journalists, citing concerns over starvation. “We have lost colleagues to war and imprisonment, but never to hunger,” the agency said, urging Israeli authorities to allow immediate evacuation of their staff and families.
Even within Israel, rare criticism emerged from the Israeli Medical Association, which called on the government and military to facilitate the delivery of medical supplies and basic humanitarian aid. “This is required by medical ethics, human morality, and international humanitarian law,” the group stated.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces on Monday entered Deir al-Balah—Gaza’s only city previously spared large-scale ground operations—prompting further concern. The city hosts several aid groups and is crowded with displaced civilians. Israeli officials believe hostages taken by Hamas may be held in the area.
The World Health Organization (WHO) condemned Israeli military strikes on its facilities in Deir al-Balah, including three attacks on its staff residence and damage to its main warehouse. The strikes sparked fires, destroyed property, and endangered families, the agency said.
According to WHO, Israeli forces stormed their premises, forced women and children to flee under active fire, and detained male staff members after handcuffing, stripping, and interrogating them. Two staffers and two family members were taken; one remains in detention.
“WHO demands the immediate release of the detained staff and protection of all its personnel,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Despite the attack, WHO said it will remain in Deir al-Balah and continue expanding operations.
The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants launched an attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli sources.
Since then, Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, displaced nearly the entire population, and devastated the territory’s infrastructure. The WHO says Gaza’s health system is now "on its knees," crippled by shortages of fuel, medicine, and overwhelming casualties.
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