Dozens killed, famine surges in Gaza as Israel tightens siege
At least 135 Palestinians killed in 24 hours amid intensifying Israeli strikes, famine-related deaths rise to 193, as aid routes collapse
GAZA, Palestine (MNTV) – The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza has deepened alarmingly, with Israeli military operations killing at least 135 Palestinians in the past 24 hours alone, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry.
Among the dead are 87 civilians who had gathered near aid trucks, hoping to receive dwindling humanitarian supplies.
The brutal toll includes entire families, children, and those already weakened by hunger.
A drone strike in Gaza City killed a six-month-old baby housed in a tent for displaced families. In Nuseirat refugee camp, an Israeli airstrike flattened an apartment block, killing five family members and injuring over 20 others. Two more homes in Gaza City were struck, killing eight people, including several children.
A tragic accident on Wednesday further illustrated the chaos surrounding aid distribution: at least 25 people were killed when a truck carrying aid overturned on a crowd in central Gaza.
The civil defense agency blamed the Israeli army for forcing the truck to take an unsafe route, a charge echoed by the state-run Wafa news agency. Eyewitnesses described the scene as “utter carnage,” with people crushed beneath the weight of the overturned vehicle and others trampled in panic.
Meanwhile, five more civilians were reportedly shot dead by Israeli forces while waiting at an aid distribution point in western Rafah. These killings are part of a disturbing pattern: since May 27, at least 1,568 aid seekers have been killed and over 11,200 injured near U.S.-run aid centers, according to Palestinian figures.
The crisis is being compounded by famine. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported five new deaths due to starvation and malnutrition on Wednesday, raising the total number of starvation-related fatalities to 193 since the war began. Children are among the hardest hit, with many arriving at hospitals in skeletal condition, unable to eat even when food becomes available.
Humanitarian agencies say Gaza is at risk of descending into a full-blown famine. Israel’s blockade—now in its 18th year—has intensified since March 2, with all crossings closed and virtually no aid entering the enclave.
Only 843 trucks have made it in since July 27, a fraction of the 6,000 needed over ten days to meet basic humanitarian needs, according to the Government Media Office in Gaza.
Just 85 trucks entered on Tuesday, and many of those were looted amid chaos and desperation, further failing to alleviate the hunger crisis.
Israeli forces have now issued new forced evacuation orders for residents of nine districts in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood, continuing the trend of mass displacement. Nearly 2 million Gazans—roughly 80% of the population—have already been displaced, many multiple times, with no safe shelter available.
As of now, Gaza’s war death toll has climbed to 61,158, with over 151,400 wounded. These figures exclude thousands of bodies believed to be buried under the rubble of homes, schools, and hospitals.
International condemnation grows
The scale of civilian suffering has triggered renewed international outcry.
At a UN Security Council briefing, Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca expressed grave concern over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reported intent to fully reoccupy Gaza, calling it “deeply alarming.” European Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera went further, labeling the plan an “unacceptable provocation.”
UN agencies have repeatedly warned that the ongoing war, combined with siege tactics and targeted strikes on civilians, may amount to war crimes under international law. Yet diplomatic efforts to reach a ceasefire have stalled, and the U.S. continues to supply military aid to Israel.
In a significant development, the Norwegian government on Tuesday announced it would review its sovereign wealth fund’s investments in Israeli companies following a media investigation that exposed the fund’s stake in an arms supplier.
Aftenposten, Norway’s leading newspaper, reported that the $1.9 trillion Government Pension Fund Global had invested in Bet Shemesh Engines, a company supplying engine parts for Israeli fighter jets used in the Gaza war.
Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg, also the former NATO Secretary-General, acknowledged public concern and confirmed that the fund—which is mandated to avoid companies enabling violations of international law—will reassess its investments.
“This is not a symbolic gesture,” said Norwegian MP Eva Kristin Hansen. “It is a warning to the world’s financial systems: you cannot profit from atrocities.”
Collapse of population
Gaza’s infrastructure—already fragile before the war—has almost entirely collapsed. Hospitals are overwhelmed and under-resourced. Power remains out across much of the territory. Clean water is scarce. Civil defense responders, many of them unpaid volunteers, have been digging out bodies by hand.
“The whole system is disintegrating,” said a field doctor in Khan Younis. “There is no medicine, no fuel, no electricity. Only grief and dust.”
As hope dwindles, international voices are calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, protection of civilians, and unrestricted access for aid convoys. But for Gaza’s 2.4 million people, relief remains a distant promise in a war that shows no sign of ending.
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