15 Palestinians die of starvation in Gaza's deepening hunger crisis, medics say

A six-week-old infant was among 15 people who have died of starvation in Gaza in the past 24 hours, local health officials said, with malnutrition now killing Palestinians faster than at any point in the 21-month war.

The infant died at a hospital ward in northern Gaza, the health officials said, naming him as Yousef al-Safadi. Three of the others were also children, including 13-year-old Abdulhamid al-Ghalban, who died in a hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis. The other two children were not named.

Palestinian health officials say at least 101 people have died of hunger during the conflict, including 80 children, with most of them in recent weeks.

Israel controls all aid supplies into the war-ravaged enclave, where most of the population has been displaced multiple times and faces acute shortages of basic necessities.

The head of the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency said on Tuesday that its staff, as well as doctors and humanitarian workers, were fainting on duty in Gaza due to hunger and exhaustion.

"No one is spared: caretakers in Gaza are also in need of care. Doctors, nurses, journalists and humanitarians are hungry," UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement.

There has been international condemnation of mass killings of civilians and dire shortages of aid in Gaza, but no action that has yet stopped the conflict, or significantly increased supplies.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday that images of civilians killed during the distribution of aid were "unbearable" and urged Israel to deliver on pledges to improve the situation, but did not say what action European countries would take.

Israel's military said that it "views the transfer of humanitarian aid into Gaza as a matter of utmost importance", and works to facilitate its entry in coordination with the international community.

It has denied accusations it is preventing aid from reaching Gaza and has accused Palestinian militant group Hamas of stealing food, an allegation Hamas denies.

FOOD AND MEDICINE SHORTAGES

"Hospitals are already overwhelmed by the number of casualties from gunfire. They can't provide much more help for hunger-related symptoms because of food and medicine shortages," said Khalil al-Deqran, a spokesperson for the health ministry.

Deqran said some 600,000 people were suffering from malnutrition, including at least 60,000 pregnant women. Symptoms among those going hungry include dehydration and anaemia, he said.

Baby formula in particular is in critically short supply, according to aid groups, doctors and residents.

Israel says its assault on Gaza aims to destroy Hamas, which waged the deadliest attack in Israel's history on October 7, 2023, killing at least 1,200 Israelis including civilians, by its tallies.

Israeli bombs and gunfire have killed nearly 60,000 people in Gaza since then, according to local health authorities.

Tank shelling killed another 16 people living in tents in Gaza City on Tuesday, as Israeli troops launched attacks across the strip, health officials said. The Israeli military said it wasn't aware of any incident, or artillery in the area at that time.

The health ministry said at least 72 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire and military strikes in the past 24 hours.

Daily food gathering has become a deadly task for Gazans, with UNRWA estimating that more than 1,000 people have died while trying to receive food aid since May.

On Tuesday, men and boys lugged sacks of flour past destroyed buildings and tarpaulins in Gaza City, grabbing what food they could from aid warehouses.

"We haven't eaten for five days," said Mohammed Jundia. "Famine is killing people."

Israeli military statistics showed on Tuesday that an average of 146 trucks of aid per day had entered Gaza over the course of the war. The United States has said a minimum of 600 trucks per day are needed to feed Gaza's population.

Twenty-five Western countries, which have backed Israel's war against Hamas, issued a statement on Monday condemning Israel over the "inhuman killing" of civilians in Gaza, but there was no indication that further action would be taken against Israel.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the Israeli military "must stop killing people at distribution points," and that "all options" were on the table if Israel didn't expand humanitarian access, but did not say what those options included.

The EU remains divided over how hard a line to take. Germany refrained from signing the statement, which Israel dismissed as "disconnected from reality", saying Hamas was shooting civilians at aid distribution points. It provided no evidence for the claim.

Israel and Hamas are engaged in indirect talks in Doha aimed at reaching a 60-day truce and hostage deal, although there has been no sign of a breakthrough.