LIVE: Israel kills 38 aid seekers in Gaza as Israelis demand truce deal
Two more Palestinians, including a 35-day-old infant, has died of malnutrition at Gaza City's al-Shifa Hospital, according to a doctor, as a Muslim group in the United States accused Israel of 'forcibly' starving Palestinians in Gaza, 'backed by billions in US taxpayer-supplied weapons and aid'.
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Al Jazeera
an hour ago
- Al Jazeera
In Gaza, water kills too
In Gaza, we see death in every aspect of life. Death has become an inseparable companion, lingering in the streets, the skies, and even in our homes. It is no longer a shock – it is a grim daily reality which we have been forced to adapt to. There are many ways to die in Gaza, although one does not have the luxury to choose. You may be killed in a bombing, or be struck by a sniper's bullet as you try to collect food to stave off hunger, or starvation itself may claim your life. The Health Ministry says 116 people have died because of malnutrition, many of them babies and children. In Gaza, the simplest, most basic necessity can also be lethal. Water is one of them. Every aspect of it can be dangerous: providing it, seeking it, drinking it, swimming in it. Since the start of the genocide, the Israeli army has relentlessly targeted Gaza's water infrastructure. More than 85 percent of Gaza's water and sanitation structures are inoperable – including pipelines, wells, and treatment facilities. Israel has blocked the entry of water-related materials to the Strip, making repairs difficult. It has also targeted the warehouse of the water utility authority, destroying equipment and spare parts. Worst of all, workers trying to make repairs or operate water infrastructure have been directly targeted and killed. Working in the water sector has now become a deadly job. Most recently, on July 21, the Israeli occupation forces attacked a desalination plant in the Remal neighbourhood of Gaza City, killing five people at the site. This was one of the few functioning water stations in the city. The destruction of the water infrastructure in Gaza has forced us to go out in search of water on a daily basis. There are some war entrepreneurs who charge exorbitant amounts of money for delivering water to homes; the vast majority of people cannot afford such services. So Palestinians are forced to walk long distances and wait in long queues, plastic jugs in hand, to fetch a daily ration of water. The wait under the scorching sun is not just exhausting, but it can also turn deadly. On July 13, 11 Palestinians – seven of them children – were killed and dozens more injured when an Israeli missile struck civilians as they queued to get water from water trucks in Nuseirat refugee camp, not far from my own home. Sometimes, water trucks are not available, so people are forced to drink water that is unfit for human consumption from local wells. It is contaminated with bacteria, chemicals and other contaminants and can trigger outbreaks of waterborne diseases. I myself felt victim to one. Months ago, after drinking from a local well, I contracted hepatitis A. My skin and the whites of my eyes turned a haunting shade of yellow. Waves of nausea left me unable to eat, and a persistent fever made every breath feel difficult. But the worst was the searing pain in my abdomen – a constant, twisting ache as if my insides were being wrung out by invisible hands. For weeks, I was bedridden, my body weak, my mind consumed with fear. A visit to a clinic brought me no relief – just a prescription for a painkiller and a 'salamtek' (get well). I had to fight the infection on my own. I survived, but others are not so lucky. Hepatitis, like other infectious waterborne diseases running amok in Gaza, kills. Amid the unbearable summer heat, one would think that at least the water of the sea could bring Palestinians some relief, but that too is deadly. In recent weeks, the Israeli military has declared Gaza's entire coastline a prohibited zone, effectively banning Palestinians from swimming, fishing, or even approaching the water. Anyone who gets near the sea is shot at. Even before the ban, the Israeli army was attacking Palestinians who would try to get into the sea to fish and alleviate their families' hunger. As of December 2024, some 200 fishermen had been killed, according to the UN; many more have died since then. While we are banned from the only place that used to bring us relief from the heat, just a few kilometres north, Israelis freely enjoy the same Mediterranean waves, sunbathing and swimming in peace. They also enjoy long showers and the privilege of running water. They use the luxurious 247 litres (65 gallons) per day per person. According to the World Health Organization, a person needs 100 litres (26 gallons) of water per day to cover their basic needs. People in Gaza now get between two and nine litres (0.5 – 2.3 gallons) per day. The struggle for water is just one of the many battles Palestinians in Gaza fight daily. There is no food to feed one's starving family, no electricity to power fans, and no medicine to treat the diseases that plague us. Every aspect of life here is a test of endurance. There is, quite literally, nothing to ease the weight of these brutal circumstances – no relief, no respite, not even the smallest comfort. I still can't comprehend how, in the 21st century, a world of more than 7 billion people, where global leaders talk about prosperity, dignity and rule of law, we are still deprived of the most basic human necessities. In December 2024, Human Rights Watch openly declared that Palestinians in Gaza are being subjected to a 'genocide,' and it based this conclusion on establishing Israel's 'water deprivation as a deliberate act'. It pointed out that 'thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have died as a result of malnutrition, dehydration, and disease as of August 2024'. It has been a year since then. Countless people have died because of Israel's weaponisation of water – numbers that are not included in the official death toll because the health authorities simply lack the capacity to track them. The truth is out in the open. It is broadcast on international media. It is visible on social media. And yet, the world remains idle, refusing to take action and stop Israel. To this world, I want to say: Your silence echoes louder than the bombs that fall on us every day. You must act now, or go down in history with your complicity in the slaughter and starvation of the Palestinian people. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance.
Al Jazeera
11 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
LIVE: Israel's starvation policy leaves 122 dead in Gaza, mostly children
Gaza's Health Ministry said hospitals have recorded nine new deaths due to starvation and malnutrition over the past 24 hours, as the total number of starvation deaths in the territory rises to 122, including 83 children. At least 52 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since dawn on Friday, Al Jazeera Arabic's correspondent in the territory reports, and casualties continue to mount.
Al Jazeera
19 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
‘We are dying': Palestinians slam world's inaction as hunger ravages Gaza
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are pleading for help as more people have starved to death under Israel's unrelenting blockade of the coastal enclave. The Gaza Health Ministry said in a statement on Friday that local hospitals recorded nine new malnutrition deaths in the previous 24 hours. That brings the total number of such deaths to 122 since Israel's war on Gaza began in October 2023, including at least 83 children. 'We urgently demand an immediate end to the famine, the opening of all crossings, and the entry of infant formula now, along with 500 aid trucks and 50 fuel trucks daily,' the Health Ministry said. 'We hold the Israeli occupation, the US administration, and other states complicit in this genocide—such as the UK, Germany, and France—as well as the international community at large, fully responsible for this historic crime.' Starvation deaths have steadily increased in Gaza this week as Israel continues to maintain a strict blockade on the territory, preventing a steady flow of food, water, medicine and other supplies from reaching Palestinians. The United Nations has warned that children are especially vulnerable as the crisis worsens. Noor al-Shana, an independent journalist in central Gaza's Nuseirat, told Al Jazeera that extreme hunger is affecting all aspects of life in the Strip. She said she now struggles to find enough for one meal per day, while four of her relatives were killed while seeking food at aid distribution points run by the notorious Israel- and United States-backed GHF. 'The world is just saying 'Free Palestine' … We don't want words, we want solutions,' she said. 'Enough, we are tired,' al-Shana added, fighting back tears. 'We are suffocating. We are dying here.' 'Deliberate mass starvation' Separately, sources at hospitals in Gaza told Al Jazeera that at least 38 people were killed by Israeli attacks across the enclave since the early hours of Friday morning. Of that, at least six Palestinians were killed while trying to collect food at aid distribution sites. Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), on Friday reiterated criticism of the GHF, calling it a 'cruel' politically driven effort that 'takes more lives than it saves'. Lazzarini called for the UN agency's aid stockpiles to be let into Gaza, warning that the enclave is suffering from 'deliberate mass starvation'. 'Today, more children died, their bodies emaciated by hunger,' he said in a post on X. 'The unfolding famine can only be reversed by a political will.' The Israeli military has blamed international organisations for the crisis, claiming that aid trucks are inside Gaza but that the UN has refused to distribute the assistance. UN officials have rejected that, saying repeatedly that they have not received the necessary approvals from the Israeli authorities to distribute the aid. The UN and other humanitarian groups have also refused to work with the GHF aid distribution scheme, which they say does not adhere to humanitarian principles such as impartiality and independence. As the crisis continues to spiral, United States President Donald Trump on Friday solely blamed Hamas for the apparent collapse of Gaza ceasefire talks, saying the group is going to be 'hunted down'. 'Hamas didn't really want to make a deal. I think they want to die, and it's very, very bad,' Trump told reporters at the White House. The US president's comments came a day after his Middle East envoy said US negotiators had withdrawn from ceasefire talks in Qatar. Hamas responded to the US's announcement with surprise, saying on Thursday that it had submitted a positive and constructive response to the latest proposal it was offered. Despite Hamas's insistence that it is ready to work towards a deal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel and the US are weighing ways to secure the release of captives in Gaza that do not depend on a negotiated agreement with the Palestinian group. 'Together with our US allies, we are now considering alternative options to bring our hostages home, end Hamas's terror rule, and secure lasting peace for Israel and our region,' Netanyahu said. Israel's war on Gaza has killed at least 59,676 Palestinians and wounded 143,965 others. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks and more than 200 were taken captive.
