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Foreign food assistance

Gaza Under Siege: Israel's Assault on Deir al-Balah Worsens Humanitarian Crisis

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Tensions have escalated in the Gaza Strip as Israel launches substantial air raids and a ground operation in Deir al-Balah, the last remaining area of Gaza that has not suffered significant war damage. The assault comes as warnings of widening starvation in the coastal strip mount, with the UN food agency, the World Food Programme, stating that the majority of those killed in Sunday's attacks were trying to access desperately needed food supplies. The humanitarian situation is dire, with at least 19 Palestinians dying from hunger in the past 24 hours, and hospitals unable to provide food for patients or staff due to extreme hunger.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Israeli military has launched substantial air raids and a ground operation in Deir al-Balah, targeting the last remaining area of Gaza that has not suffered significant war damage.
  • The assault comes as warnings of widening starvation in the Gaza Strip mount, with the UN food agency stating that the majority of those killed in Sunday's attacks were trying to access desperately needed food supplies.
  • The humanitarian situation is dire, with at least 19 Palestinians dying from hunger in the past 24 hours, and hospitals unable to provide food for patients or staff due to extreme hunger.
  • The UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that the area of Gaza under displacement orders or within Israeli-militarised zones has risen to 87.8%, leaving 2.1 million civilians squeezed into a fragmented 12% of the strip.
  • The OCHA emphasized the importance of Deir al-Balah for what remains of the struggling international aid effort, as warehouses, health clinics, and a key desalination plant serving southern Gaza are located there.
  • The World Food Programme stated that Gaza's hunger crisis has reached new levels of desperation, with people dying from lack of humanitarian assistance.
  • Malnutrition is surging, with 90,000 women and children in urgent need of treatment, and nearly one person in three not eating for days.

Statistics:

  • At least 85 people were killed on Sunday in what has become a grim and almost daily slaughter in Gaza.
  • 19 Palestinians, including children, have died from hunger in the past 24 hours.
  • 90,000 women and children are in urgent need of malnutrition treatment.
  • 87.8% of the Gaza Strip is under displacement orders or within Israeli-militarised zones.
  • 2.1 million civilians are squeezed into a fragmented 12% of the Gaza Strip.
  • 50-80,000 people were forced to evacuate Deir al-Balah, leaving almost 87% of the territory under such orders.

Sources:

  • The Guardian
  • BBC
  • AFP
  • Reuters
  • World Food Programme
  • United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

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