Desk Report,
More than 70 killed in Israeli attack on aid convoy in Gaza
At least 71 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli attack on a relief convoy amid a severe food crisis in Gaza, health sources said. The attack took place on Wednesday. In addition, hospitals in the besieged valley reported the deaths of seven more people due to starvation and malnutrition.
More than 70 killed in Israeli attack on aid convoy in Gaza
According to the Gaza Media Office, Palestinians were heading towards Zikim Point to receive relief from trucks entering northern Gaza yesterday. At that time, Israeli forces attacked there. 51 people were killed in the incident. More than 648 were injured. In addition, 20 more people were killed while receiving relief in the so-called Morag Corridor area near Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to the Nasser Medical Complex.
The US-Israeli-backed ‘Gaza Humanitarian Foundation’ began distributing relief aid in Gaza in late May this year. More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces while trying to collect aid from the controversial foundation’s centers.
The foundation has come under heavy criticism from the United Nations and other humanitarian organizations for failing to provide adequate aid and for the extreme insecurity around the distribution centers. The attacks in Gaza come as aid agencies and health officials warn of a massive food crisis, with children and the elderly in particular suffering.
The Gaza Health Ministry said 154 people have died of malnutrition in the enclave, including 89 children. Most of them have died in the past few weeks. On Tuesday, a global hunger monitor said famine was becoming visible in Gaza.
One of those struggling to survive in Gaza is Jihan al-Quran. She spoke to Al Jazeera with her young daughter in her arms. “Look at her stomach! There’s no meat, just bones,” she said, pointing to her daughter. “We haven’t had a single piece of bread for a month,” Adnan Abu Hasna, a spokesman for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, told Al Jazeera. “Most of the very little aid that is allowed into Gaza is not reaching the people.” According to the UN, Gaza needs at least 500 to 600 aid trucks a day to meet its basic food needs. However, only 269 trucks have entered in the past four days.
