Gaza [Palestine], July 29 (ANI): At least 60,034 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the war on Gaza began in October 2023, according to the enclave’s Ministry of Health. The updated toll comes amid intensified bombardment and worsening famine conditions, Al Jazeera reported.
Citing medical sources, Al Jazeera noted that at least 62 more Palestinians, including 19 people seeking aid, were killed since dawn on Tuesday—despite “pauses” announced to facilitate humanitarian deliveries.
Reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum described the night’s events as among the bloodiest in recent weeks. “Local accounts indicate that Israel used booby-trapped robots, as well as tanks and drones,” he said, adding that this may signal a potential Israeli ground maneuver, although its objectives have not been confirmed.
The violence coincides with a rapidly worsening famine. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global hunger monitoring system, stated that famine thresholds have already been met for food consumption in most parts of Gaza and for acute malnutrition in Gaza City.
“Amid relentless conflict, mass displacement, severely restricted humanitarian access, and the collapse of essential services, including healthcare, the crisis has reached an alarming and deadly turning point,” the IPC report warned.
Food access has dramatically declined, with one in three Gaza residents reportedly going without food for days. Between April and mid-July, more than 20,000 children were treated for acute malnutrition, with over 3,000 classified as severely affected.
The Gaza Health Ministry reported on Monday that at least 147 people, including 88 children, have died from malnutrition since the start of the war. Al Jazeera stated that starvation now impacts all sections of the population.
Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, highlighted the dire plight of women and girls in Gaza, saying one million face the “unthinkable choice” of starving or risking their lives to find food. “This horror must end,” she posted on social media, calling for unimpeded humanitarian access, the release of hostages, and a permanent ceasefire.
Doctors in Gaza are witnessing harrowing cases of starvation. “Medical staff at Gaza’s hospitals are seeing babies severely malnourished—without muscles and fat tissue, just the skin over the bone,” said Dr. Ahmed al-Farra, Director of Pediatrics and Maternity at Nasser Hospital. He warned that malnutrition in infants can severely impact brain development due to deficiencies in essential nutrients like folic acid, vitamin B1, and polyunsaturated fatty acids.
“This could impair reading and writing skills and lead to depression and anxiety later in life,” Dr. al-Farra added.
Dr. Tanya Haj Hassan, a physician with Doctors Without Borders (MSF), explained that even when food is available, severe health risks persist. “The problem doesn’t end when the food arrives… malnutrition impacts all aspects of the body’s function,” she told Al Jazeera.
She noted that starvation affects cellular integrity, the pancreas, the heart, and the intestines, resulting in weak organ function and increased susceptibility to infections. “These children often die of heart failure, even when they’re being refed,” she said.
Dr. Hassan added that life-threatening shifts in body salts, sepsis, shock, fluid overload, hypothermia, and vitamin deficiencies affecting bones and vision are common complications in malnourished children. (ANI)
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