Daijiworld Media Network - Gaza
Gaza, Jul 23: The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is deepening, with 21 children reported dead from starvation and malnutrition in just three days, the head of Gaza’s Al-Shifa Medical Complex, Dr Mohammed Abu Salmiya, said on Tuesday. He warned that hospitals are overwhelmed with new cases and the death toll could rise sharply.
Gaza’s 2.4 million residents are facing unprecedented shortages of food, water, and essentials as Israeli strikes and a tight blockade continue. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Gaza a “horror show” with “death and destruction without parallel in recent times.”
After a six-week ceasefire ended in March, Israel imposed a total blockade, allowing limited aid only from late May. The shift from UN-led aid to the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has sparked chaos. The UN says Israeli forces have killed over 1,000 Palestinians seeking food near GHF sites since late May.
On Tuesday, the Israeli military posted a video claiming that 950 trucks loaded with aid were awaiting distribution. Meanwhile, the US announced Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, will travel to the region to discuss an aid corridor.
Israeli strikes continue to devastate Gaza. Civil defence officials said 15 were killed Tuesday, including 13 in the overcrowded Al-Shati refugee camp. Survivor Raed Bakr described a midnight blast that destroyed his tent and injured his children.
Israeli ground operations have expanded into Deir el-Balah, displacing tens of thousands. The UN says nearly 88% of Gaza is now under evacuation or within Israeli militarised zones, squeezing civilians into shrinking unsafe areas.
WHO chief Dr. Tedros accused Israeli troops of storming a WHO staff residence, handcuffing male staff at gunpoint and forcing families to evacuate.
Latin Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa, after visiting the bombed Catholic church in Gaza, called the humanitarian crisis “morally unacceptable.”
Despite the devastation, Israeli far-right leaders met in Jerusalem to discuss plans to redevelop Gaza into a tourism hub with a permanent Jewish presence.
The Gaza health ministry reports 59,106 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed since October 2023. Hamas’s October 7 attack left 1,219 people dead in Israel.