There could soon be a mass death due to Gaza’s dire food shortage: Report

The global hunger monitor stated on Monday that mass mortality is inevitable in the Gaza Strip unless there is an immediate truce and an influx of food to regions shut off by conflict. Extreme food shortages in certain sections of the Gaza Strip have already surpassed famine levels.

Seventy percent of the population in portions of northern Gaza were experiencing the most severe degree of food scarcity, more than quadruple the twenty percent threshold to be termed famine, according to the Integrated Food-Security Phase Classification (IPC), whose evaluations are relied upon by UN agencies.

Despite stating that it lacked sufficient data on mortality rates, the IPC predicted that inhabitants would soon be dying on a famine scale, which is defined as two out of every 10,000 people per day passing away from hunger, malnutrition, or illness.

According to Gaza’s health ministry, starvation has been the cause of death for 27 children and 3 adults so far.

“The actions needed to prevent famine require an immediate political decision for a ceasefire, together with a significant and immediate increase in humanitarian and commercial access to the entire population of Gaza,” it said.

Approximately half of Gaza’s population, or 1.1 million people, were suffering from “catastrophic” food shortages, and 300,000 of them were now in danger of dying from starvation.

Since Israel began fighting Hamas terrorists after their fatal assault on Israeli territory on October 7, the possibility of a man-made famine in Gaza has drawn the most concern from Western supporters.

“Famine is no longer looming large in Gaza. We are experiencing hunger right now. Hunger is used as a military tactic. At a seminar in Brussels on assistance for Gaza, EU foreign policy head Josep Borrell said, “Israel is provoking famine.”

In response, Borrell was told to “stop attacking Israel and recognise our right to self-defence against Hamas’ crimes” by Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz.

Katz said on X that while Israel permits “massive humanitarian aid into Gaza by land, air, and sea for anyone willing to help,” Hamas fighters “violently disturbed” the supplies with “collaboration” from UNRWA, the UN organization that oversees relief.

The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, described the IPC report as a “appalling indictment” and insisted that Israel provide full and unrestricted access to Gaza.

According to British Foreign Minister David Cameron, “it’s clear the status quo is unsustainable,” and he would carefully analyze the findings. To prevent a famine, we must act immediately.”

Israel, which at first only let supplies enter Gaza via two checkpoints on the southern border of the enclave, claims to be expanding its land channels for aid delivery and permitting air and sea drops as well. Last week, the first boat delivering relief arrived.

Aid organizations report that they are still unable to securely deliver goods or get enough of them through, particularly in the north.

HOSPITAL ATTACK
Overnight, Israeli troops conducted a significant attack on Al Shifa hospital, located in the ruins of Gaza City, the biggest city located in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. It was formerly the largest hospital in the Gaza Strip and is now one of the few healthcare institutions in the northern section of the region that is still partly operational.

More than twenty Hamas members were reportedly killed by Israel, including Fayeq al-Mabhouh, a top Hamas leader who was hospitalized. According to Hamas, he was a Palestinian police officer entrusted with managing the security of assistance supplies entering Gaza.

The conflict, which is in its sixth month, was scheduled to start truce negotiations on Monday when an Israeli team headed to Qatar was led by the nation’s senior spy. However, an Israeli source said that concluding any agreement would likely need a minimum of two more weeks, a glaring letdown for Washington, which had hoped to reach a consensus before the commencement of the Ramadan holy month last week.

In a phone chat on Monday, President Joe Biden forewarned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that a military action in Rafah would intensify chaos in Gaza. They also decided that delegations from both sides would convene in Washington to deliberate on the matter, according to the White House.

Netanyahu has promised to advance into the southernmost enclave of Gaza, Rafah, where over half of the 2.3 million people living there are seeking refuge in anticipation of an Israeli attack farther north.

Last week, the head of Biden’s Democratic Party in the US Senate urged Israelis to remove Netanyahu from office because, in his words, Israel’s reputation was being destroyed by permitting excessive suffering in Gaza.

According to Israeli counts, the battle started when Hamas militants surged into Israel, murdering 1,200 people and taking 253 captives. Palestinian health authorities claim that since then, over 31,000 Gazans have died as a result of Israel’s onslaught.

UNIQUE FORCES
According to the Israeli military, special forces carried out a “precise operation” on the Al Shifa facility complex with the assistance of tanks and troops, after receiving information that the facility was being used by Hamas commanders.

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, a spokesman, said, “We have detained over 200 terrorist suspects who are currently being questioned.” He added that one Israeli soldier had died in the combat.

For months, residents in northern Gaza reported some of the worst violence.

A father of two who lives close to the hospital, Mohammad Ali, 32, told Reuters on a chat app that the assault’s noise awakened the neighborhood at approximately one in the morning.

“Soon tanks started to roll, they came from the western road and headed toward Al Shifa, then sounds of gunfire and explosions increased,” he said.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the attack created a fire inside the hospital that killed displaced people.