War on Gaza: Death toll surpasses 59,000 as UN warns of ‘deteriorating’ humanitarian crisis

At least 59,106 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza since October 2023, the Health Ministry in the Israeli-besieged enclave has said. A ministry statement said that 77 bodies were brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours, while 376 people were wounded, taking the number of injured to 142,511 in the […]

At least 59,106 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza since October 2023, the Health Ministry in the Israeli-besieged enclave has said.

A ministry statement said that 77 bodies were brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours, while 376 people were wounded, taking the number of injured to 142,511 in the Israeli onslaught.

The ministry also noted that five Palestinians were killed and over 52 wounded while trying to get humanitarian aid in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed while seeking aid to 1,026, with over 6,563 others wounded since May 27.

Meanwhile more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces while trying to access food in Gaza since the US- and Israel-backed so-called ‘Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’ began operations, the United Nations has said.

“As of 21 July, we have recorded 1,054 people killed in Gaza while trying to get food; 766 of them were killed in the vicinity of GHF sites and 288 near UN and other humanitarian organisations’ aid convoys,” UN human rights office spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told AFP on Tuesday, stating the victims had been “killed by the Israeli military”.

Medical staff in Gaza are also struggling to carry out their duties under the deadly Israeli blockade.

 

Gaza is a “horror show” of starvation, destruction – UN

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned of the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, describing it as a “horror show” marked by mass devastation and starvation.

“We need look no further than the horror show in Gaza – with a level of death and destruction without parallel in recent times,” Guterres told the UN Security Council during a debate on multilateralism and peaceful dispute resolution on Tuesday.

“Malnourishment is soaring. Starvation is knocking on every door. And now we are seeing the last gasp of a humanitarian system built on humanitarian principles,” he said, adding: “That system is being denied the conditions to function. Denied the space to deliver. Denied the safety to save lives.”

He denounced Israel’s military offensives, stressing that “with Israeli military operations intensifying and new displacement orders issued in Deir al Balah (in central Gaza), devastation is being layered upon devastation.”

Guterres also noted that the situation in Gaza reflects a broader failure to uphold international obligations, as “conflict is raging, international law is being trampled, and hunger and displacement are at record levels” in regions from Ukraine and Sudan to Haiti and Myanmar.

The UN chief condemned recent attacks on UN facilities in Gaza, and said: “I am appalled that UN premises have been struck – among them facilities of the UN Office for Project Services and the World Health Organization, including WHO’s main warehouse.”

“These premises, like all civilian sites, are inviolable and must be protected under international humanitarian law – without exception,” Guterres said.

Stressing the “clear connection between international peace and multilateralism,” Guterres said the UN was founded 80 years ago “to safeguard humanity from the scourge of war.”

“The Charter lays out a number of important tools to forge peace,” he said, hailing Pakistan for utilising its current council presidency to urge member states “to make full use of these tools in our collective pursuit of global peace.”

Guterres said “failures to uphold international obligations are coming at a time of widening geopolitical divides and conflicts.”

“And the cost is staggering, measured in human lives, shattered communities, and lost futures,” he added.

The UN chief continued by urging the Security Council to overcome internal divisions, reform to reflect today’s geopolitical realities, and enhance its inclusivity and cooperation with regional partners.

He also called on all member states to uphold international law and reaffirm their commitment to peace through diplomacy as the UN marks its 80th anniversary.

In the same vein, the UN also condemned what it calls the “unacceptable pattern” of attacks on aid-seekers in Gaza, despite repeated assurances from Israel that civilians would not be targeted.

Citing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference that “intense hostilities continue with no let-up, as does the rapid collapse of the last lifelines keeping people alive.”

Dujarric reported that “more than a dozen children and adults had died from hunger” in the past 24 hours, according to authorities.

“This is on top of continued reports of people being shot, killed, or injured while simply trying to find food, which is only being allowed into Gaza in far too small quantities,” he said.

He conveyed OCHA’s warning that “in many cases where UN teams are permitted by Israel to collect supplies from closed compounds near Gaza’s crossings, civilians approaching the trucks come under fire despite repeated assurances that troops would not be present or engage.”

 

Hamas urges Muslim countries to act as famine reaches “unprecedented” levels

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas has urged Arab and Muslim leaders to take urgent action to end the ongoing famine in Gaza, warning that the humanitarian crisis has reached “unprecedented and dangerous levels.”

In a statement, the group said nearly 100 civilians, including 80 children, have died from hunger and malnutrition since Israel imposed a total blockade nearly five months ago.

About 1,000 others were reportedly shot dead by Israeli forces at so-called aid points.

Hamas called for an immediate end to the Israeli siege and the unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid, accusing Israel of enforcing “a systematic policy of starvation and humiliation.”