At least 112 Palestinians were fired at by Israeli authorities in Gaza while they were waiting for food handouts, leaving 760 others injured. As the death toll in Gaza surpasses 30,000, UN relief head Martin Griffiths remarks, “Life is draining out of Gaza at terrifying speed” in reference to the onslaught on aid seekers. At least thirty individuals have been murdered in different incidents in the Gaza camps of Nuseirat, Bureij, and Khan Younis by Israeli airstrikes and shelling. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, six children in north Gaza passed away at the Kamal Adwan and al-Shifa hospitals from malnourishment and dehydration, while other children are in serious condition. Israeli assaults on Gaza have resulted in at least 30,035 fatalities and 70,457 injuries since October 7. 1,139 people are now officially dead in Israel as a result of the strikes on October 7.
Escalating tensions in Gaza
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry has accused Israel of using “starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza,” joining Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan in denouncing Israeli soldiers for firing at famished Palestinians who are awaiting relief deliveries. The Gaza Health Ministry said that at least 115 Palestinians had died and hundreds more had been injured. More than 80% of the injured brought to one hospital had been hit by gunfire, according to the hospital’s chief, who stated that the Israeli military had reportedly opened fire into the crowd.
Israel maintained that its forces only opened fire when they were threatened by the throng, and that many of the victims were crushed in a frantic rush for the food handouts. In response, Israel launched a fierce attack in the Gaza Strip that has devastated northern districts like Gaza City, which are mainly blocked off from the outside world and have seen little relief arrive. This has resulted in a humanitarian crisis. After the U.N. agency consents to an examination, the EU says it will transfer money to Gaza’s primary humanitarian organization. In a special election dominated by the Gaza War, veteran British left-wing disruptor George Galloway wins.
Tragic losses amidst humanitarian crisis
A day after witnesses said that Israeli forces had murdered scores of Palestinians as crowds rushed to remove supplies from an aid truck, President Joe Biden announced that the United States will start airdropping humanitarian aid into Gaza. While receiving Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the White House, Biden said that the air drops will start in the “coming days.” Israel said that several of the deceased were trampled in a stampede connected to the mayhem and that some of the crowd members came toward them in a way that seemed menacing to its forces. This week, during a meeting hosted by Russia, representatives of the opposing Palestinian organizations Hamas and Fatah convened in an official capacity for the first time since October 7.
Calls for accountability and restraint
The factions announced in a joint statement that they hope to achieve “national unity that includes all Palestinian forces and factions within the framework of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people” through additional rounds of meetings after two days of talks. The PLO, which is led by Fatah and has formally recognized Israel as a state, does not include Hamas. Although its leaders have indicated that they would want to join the PLO, which would at the very least include acknowledging Israel based on pre-1967 boundaries, Hamas does not.
Osama Hamdan, a political spokesman for Hamas, stated last week that his organization seeks to come to a “unified position” with Fatah and other groups about the future government of the Palestinian territories. According to Hamdan, Hamas is in favor of a “Palestinian government to be formed by the factions,” which would be in charge of organizing general elections in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank as well as post-war rehabilitation.
Impediments to Aid delivery
There has been much discussion about Gaza’s post-war administration, particularly between Israel and the United States, which is the country’s main ally. The Biden administration wants an ultimate Palestinian government in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank as a prelude to Palestinian independence, despite the fact that both Israel and the United States claim Hamas cannot rule the enclave after the conflict. Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration in Israel opposes a two-state solution and wants to see Gaza administered by Palestinians chosen by hand.
In conclusion, Sameh Shoukri, the foreign minister of Egypt, expressed optimism that a cease-fire deal will result in a longer-term cessation of hostilities in Gaza. Speaking at a diplomatic conference in the Turkish city of Antalya, Shoukri stressed the significance of reaching a cease-fire prior to the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.