Gaza endures rising toll under siege and famine threat
Shafaq News/ Israeli strikes in Gaza resulted in more than 100 casualties over the past 24 hours, Palestinian health officials said on Tuesday, as the besieged enclave reels under relentless bombardment, a tightening blockade, and growing warnings of famine.
The Gaza Health Ministry reported that 46 people were killed and 73 others were wounded, raising the total number of casualties since October 7, 2023, to 52,908 dead and 119,721 injured.
As the Israeli blockade enters its third month, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) urged the immediate reopening of crossings and the entry of humanitarian aid.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres is “deeply concerned” by a recent UN-backed report showing that one in five people in Gaza is facing famine. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Guterres is particularly alarmed by data showing that most children in Gaza suffer from severe food deprivation, a finding confirmed by 17 UN agencies and NGOs.
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), around 470,000 people in the strip are now classified in Phase 5 – the highest level of food insecurity, indicating catastrophic hunger.
In a joint statement, the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF warned that famine threatens all areas of the territory, noting that more than 116,000 metric tons of aid – enough to feed one million people for four months – are ready for delivery but remain blocked.
Food System Collapse
The humanitarian crisis has been deepened by what Palestinian officials describe as “a deliberate Israeli policy” to destroy Gaza’s food production infrastructure.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture, more than 167,000 dunams of farmland have been destroyed, resulting in the loss of 459,000 metric tons of crops worth over $325 million.
The livestock sector has also been decimated, with 2,500 poultry farms destroyed and over 36 million chickens and 850,000 egg-laying hens killed, effectively halting the production of eggs, milk, and meat.
Gaza’s fishing industry has collapsed following the destruction of the main port and fishing boats. In addition, 33% of greenhouses and 46% of agricultural wells have been wiped out, pushing the local food system to near-total collapse.
