Intense Israeli attacks lead to the deaths of over 50 Palestinians during essential water and food errands
In just 5 short minutes, this week alone, 57 lives have been brutally cut short and 363 have been left battered and broken due to Israeli fire in the Gaza Strip while they fight for their most basic human rights. The Gaza Ministry of Health confirmed these numbers in a statement, bringing the total count of victims to 224 who have sought medical attention from designated aid distribution areas, with over 1,858 injured to date.
The cause of this tragedy is the controversial new Israeli scheme, launched by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF)––linked to the United States––to replace traditional UN aid distribution methods. Since its inception, these deadly incidents have become alarmingly common as people stand patiently and desperately near the GHF-controlled food distribution points, all guarded intensely by Israeli forces.
The Palestinian Red Crescent reported transporting 12 lifeless souls and 150 injured to their field hospital from a humanitarian aid distribution point in Rafah, southern Gaza.
Deaths in the Netzarim Corridor
The heart-wrenching statistics reveal that at least 35 of the fatalities occurred in the Netzarim corridor area, central Gaza. They were admitted to Al Shifa, Al Quds, and Alwadeh hospitals, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
In response, the Israeli Army cagily claimed that its forces had fired warning shots at suspicious individuals who threatened soldiers stationed in the corridor. However, details regarding the injured victims are still under review by the IDF.
Remarkably, the Netzarim corridor area, which runs east to west and is under Israeli military control, houses one of the four GHF distribution points. With little-to-no aid reaching the north of the Strip, hundreds of desperate people make a perilous journey to this area in search of food, offered both by GHF and UN trucks that Israel permits entry.
Limited Resources and Malnutrition
GHF reported that since launching the new scheme, they have distributed 16 million food rations, equating to less than two meals a day for four days if the supplies were shared evenly among the Gaza population. Alarmingly, most of the food boxes have been distributed in the southern zone, leaving the northern tip on the brink of starvation.
Continuous Closures of Aid Distribution Centers
On Tuesday, GHF revealed that their centers would open the following day at noon. However, by 3:00 AM, they warned Gazans that the Wadi Gaza center, located near the Netzarim corridor, had been forcibly shut down and emptied due to the exhaustion of supplies. Less than a quarter of an hour later, it was announced that another center in Tal Al Sultan (Rafah, south) and one more in the Saudi neighborhood, both in Rafah, had also been closed.
Israel continues to impose strict limitations on the number of aid-providing trucks allowed to enter Gaza, much lower than the 600 per day considered necessary to meet the needs of the 2.1 million Gazans. With more than 55,000 lives lost and over 127,000 injured since the beginning of the Israeli offensive on Gaza, the plight of the Gazan people continues in this vicious cycle of violence and humanitarian crisis.
The average daily meal rations provided by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) equate to less than two meals a day for four days, as reported, indicating a severe shortage of food resources in Gaza.
The arbitrary closures of GHF's aid distribution centers, such as the one in Wadi Gaza, have led to increased political tension and general news regarding the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, as people are left desperate and with limited access to essential resources like food and medical care. Meanwhile, the number of casualties, including crime victims and people injured during war-and-conflicts, continues to rise, further highlighting the urgent need for just and effective resolution to the ongoing conflict.
