‘This is not life': Starvation breaks Gaza's spirit as world argues over Palestinian statehood
Reports of starvation in the enclave persist despite an increase in aid deliveries via the controversial US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and air drops by Jordan, Germany and France. These efforts, Palestinians say, are changing nothing on the ground.
'This is not life,' Asmaa Abu Diya, a 46-years-old mother of eight, tells The Independent. 'We are not living a dignified life. The state we have reached is difficult to describe in words. There is no life.'
The challenge of finding food and aid has become known as the 'death journey', Ms Diya says, a journey her son takes regularly. 'Either they bring us something and return safely, or they come back dead.
'My son went to get American aid, and a quadcopter dropped a bomb on them, killing people right in front of his eyes. Four people were cut into pieces. My son was hit by shrapnel in his chest, and it remains there to this day,' she adds.
'If our children don't go to die, we won't eat.'
On Thursday, the UN's humanitarian office (UNHCR) said that at least 1,373 Palestinians have been killed while trying to reach aid since the GHF took over aid distribution in May. At least 859 of these killings have been near GHF sites, most by the Israeli military, it says.
The GHF denies the killings are a result of its aid distribution practices, accusing Hamas of 'spreading disinformation' by 'falsely attributing' casualties to the agency. The agency, along with Israel and the US, says that systematic theft of aid by Hamas is the reason there is starvation in the strip. Israeli military officials and US government analysis have cast doubt over such claims.
Another 91 Palestinians were killed at aid sites on Thursday, Gaza's health ministry said. Despite this, US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee hailed the 'incredible' job of the GHF, following a visit to the Gaza Strip on Friday alongside Donald Trump's special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
The visit came ahead of the expected unveiling of a new humanitarian aid plan for Gaza touted by Mr Trump during a visit to Scotland earlier in the week, in which the US would set up new food centres.
Shortly after Mr Trump's departure on Tuesday, the British prime minister Sir Keir Starmer was embroiled in a diplomatic row by threatening to recognise the State of Palestine in September unless Israel dramatically changed the course of its actions in Gaza. France had recently become the first G7 state to promise to recognise Palestine, and Canada has since vowed the same.
For Gazans, however, diplomatic posturing makes little difference in their desperate pursuit of food and resources.
'We don't just want political statements; we want real action on the ground,' says Umm Odary Nassar, 45, who has two children. 'We want them to recognise us on the ground and in a realistic way. Not in a way that makes us feel insensitive. Recognition is meaningless if there is no change on the ground.'
As for Mr Trump's promise of new food centres, Ms Nassar said she doesn't consider any positive-sounding statements to be of worthwhile 'unless they are implemented on the ground and real change is achieved'.
The levels of starvation in the Gaza strip is the 'work of Netanyahu and Israel, with full support from Trump', Ms Nassar said - and despite a supposed increase in aid deliveries, the people of Gaza say they are not noticing a significant change.
'The aid so far has only been symbolic because the quantity is very small in relation to the number of people and doesn't suffice for all people's needs, and the types of aid are not enough for everyone,' says Ms Nassar.
'We have been living on canned food for two years. Our children have become dwarfs due to the lack of food and nutrition. Everyone has brittle bones and health, and psychological problems.'
Recent air drops by France, Germany, the UAE and Jordan - an initiative which the UK aims to join, Sir Keir said - have done little to alleviate a growing crisis of hunger, residents say.
Ms Nassar describes them as a 'theatrical performance' which benefits only Israel.
'As the world sees them, they are airdrops, and they allow aid. But I haven't actually heard from any segment of society that they've benefited from them,' she says. 'Most of this aid is dropped in prohibited areas, forbidden to enter, and entering them is considered suicide.'
Ms Diya says the air drops 'don't exceed five truckloads'. She adds: 'All of this is death. For me and others, we consider it a smokescreen for the world. Even if they come and bring aid, it's not enough.'
Ms Nassar adds: 'We've reached the point where there is no life, we've reached the peak of starvation. The story of bread has become a tragedy. We are now in an age where a mother distributes a livelihood to her children.'
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The Independent
37 minutes ago
- The Independent
Dozens killed as Palestinians in Gaza scramble for aid from air and land
Dozens of Palestinians were killed or wounded on Monday as desperate crowds headed toward food distribution points and airdropped parcels in the Gaza Strip, according to witnesses and local health officials. Israel 's blockade and military offensive have made it nearly impossible to safely deliver aid, contributing to the territory's slide toward famine nearly 22 months into the war with Hamas. Aid groups say Israel's week-old measures to allow more aid in are far from sufficient. Families of hostages in Gaza fear starvation affects them too, but blame Hamas. Several hundred Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since May while heading toward food distribution sites and aid convoys, according to witnesses, local health officials and the United Nations human rights office. The military says it has only fired warning shots and disputes the toll. As international alarm has mounted, several countries have airdropped aid over Gaza. The U.N. and aid groups call such drops costly and dangerous for residents, and say they deliver far less aid than trucks. AP video shows scramble for airdropped aid Many food parcels dropped by air have splashed into the Mediterranean Sea or landed in so-called red zones from which Israel's military has ordered people to evacuate. In either case, Palestinians risk their lives to get flour and other basic goods. On Monday, Palestinians cheered as pallets of aid were parachuted over Zuweida in central Gaza. Associated Press footage showed a desperate scramble when the parcels hit the ground, with hundreds of people racing toward them. Fistfights broke out and some men wielded batons. 'I wish they would deliver it through the (land) crossings,' Rabah Rabah said earlier as he waited for the airdrop. 'This is inhuman.' At least one parcel fell on a tent where displaced people had been sheltering, injuring a man who was taken to a hospital. His condition was not immediately known. Dozens killed seeking aid At least 16 people were killed late Sunday near the Israeli-controlled Zikim Crossing, the main entry point for aid to northern Gaza, according to records at Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, which showed that more than 130 people were wounded. The circumstances were not immediately clear, but the crossing has seen several shootings in recent days that witnesses and health officials blamed on Israeli forces. There was no immediate comment from the military. At least 10 people were killed as thousands waited for aid trucks in the Morag Corridor, which the Israeli military carved out between the southern cities of Khan Younis and Rafah. Mohammed al-Masri, who was among the crowds, said Israeli forces opened fire when a group of young men tried to make their way to the front. "The occupation forces shot many people in the head and in the back,' he said, adding that he saw four wounded people, one motionless on the ground. Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis said it received 10 bodies from Morag and another five who were killed near an aid site in southern Gaza run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed American contractor. GHF said there were no violent incidents at or near its sites. It said a new U.N. route runs near two of its sites in the south and has drawn large crowds of people who unload the convoys. GHF says its contractors have only used pepper spray or fired warning shots on a few occasions to prevent deadly crowding since it opened four sites in May. 'It's a death trap' Al-Awda Hospital in central Gaza said it received the bodies of eight people killed near a GHF site in the Israeli-controlled Netzarim Corridor, and that another 50 people were wounded. Witnesses and health officials said Israeli forces had fired toward the crowds. An Associated Press photo showed a man carrying a body away from the site, as others hauled bags of food. 'It's like yesterday, and the day before,' said Ayman Ruqab, a young Palestinian who said he had tried unsuccessfully to reach the site for the past three days. 'It's a death trap." The Israeli military said it fired warning shots at people who approached 'in a manner that posed a threat to the troops,' without elaborating. It said it was not aware of any casualties. Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted 251 in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that ignited the war. They still hold 50 hostages, around 20 of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals. Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed more than 60,900 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count but says around half the dead have been women and children, is staffed by medical professionals. The U.N. and other independent experts view its figures as the most reliable casualty count. Israel has disputed the figures but hasn't provided its own. ___ Magdy reported from Cairo. ___
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Revealed: Most aid sent to Gaza is intercepted by Hamas or desperate civilians before it reaches its target
The majority of the aid sent to Gaza is being intercepted by armed militants and desperate civilians before it reaches its intended target, official figures show. Data from the UN shows that just 14 per cent of the pallets collected at the Gaza border arrived safely at their destination. The rest (86 per cent) were intercepted – 'either peacefully by hungry people or forcefully by armed actors, during transit in Gaza', the UN said. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has previously accused armed militias of looting the aid convoys at gunpoint. Figures show that of the 29,885 aid pallets collected for delivery in Gaza between mid-May and last weekend, 25,703 were taken en route. It means only 4,182 pallets containing vital supplies intended for Gaza's desperately hungry inhabitants made it safely to the destination. The UN is unable to break down how much of the missing aid – equating to 23,353 tons in the last two and a half months – has been snatched by Hamas militants, or taken by some of the more than two million people living in Gaza's warzone. But the figures underline the gravity of the humanitarian crisis with both Hamas and Israel blaming each other. Charities operating in the disaster zone last night laid bare the extent to which Gaza's civilian population was struggling. Sarah Davies, who is based in Jerusalem for the International Committee of the Red Cross, said: 'Regardless of how many trucks enter Gaza, the critical issue is whether aid actually reaches the people who need it. 'Right now, that is not happening at the scale required. 'At the Red Cross Field Hospital, we are treating more patients showing signs of malnutrition, which delays recovery and particularly affects children's development and wellbeing. 'We are also facing challenges in replenishing basic medical items and consumables at the rate they are being used. Given the rising number of weapon-wounded patients, materials such as bandages, IV fluids, surgical gloves and other essentials are being depleted rapidly. 'We've seen a significant increase in the number of patients arriving after being wounded who tell us they were injured while attempting to access food at distribution points. Some tragically did not survive, or are declared dead on arrival. 'We have consistently emphasised that bringing aid into Gaza is only one part of the equation. The aid must be able to be moved safely and swiftly to reach vulnerable patients in hospitals, the elderly, children and pregnant women. That is not happening nearly enough today.' A spokesman for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said its health facilities in the region had received 'hundreds of people wounded or killed while simply trying to find something to eat'. They said: 'Very little food is entering the Gaza Strip, nowhere near enough to feed two million people. 'The few boxes that do enter rarely make it to people in need. And those that manage to reach people in need are systematically accompanied by bloodbaths, either from the chaos of the situation itself, or because Israeli forces and US security contractors are shooting at crowds. 'Regardless of where and how this massive loss of life is happening, regardless of who is pulling the trigger, the conditions of desperation and suffering that we are witnessing first-hand in Gaza have been engineered by Israeli authorities against its obligations as occupying power, which include the obligation to ensure humanitarian action is protected. 'We need aid to be allowed in, at scale, with guarantees that convoys will reach people in need safely, and we need a full return to the UN-led independent humanitarian mechanism.' At least 175 people – including 93 children – have now died from starvation in Gaza since the war began following the Hamas attacks on October 7 2023, according to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry. Data shows the vast majority (98.6 per cent) of the pallets contain food. The remainder of the aid comprises fuel, health supplies and other forms of nutrition. Most of the aid (90 per cent) comes from the UN's World Food Programme, with the World Central Kitchen (6.5 per cent) and Unicef (2.1 per cent) among the next biggest suppliers. Hospital officials in Gaza said at least a further 23 Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli forces as hungry crowds sought out food. Witness Yousef Abed described coming under what he called indiscriminate fire, looking around and seeing at least three people bleeding on the ground. He said: 'I couldn't stop and help them because of the bullets.'
Reuters
5 hours ago
- Reuters
More Gazans die seeking aid and from hunger, as burial shrouds in short supply
CAIRO/GAZA, Aug 4 (Reuters) - At least 40 Palestinians were killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes on Gaza on Monday, including 10 seeking aid, health authorities said, adding another five had died of starvation in what humanitarian agencies warn may be an unfolding famine. The 10 died in two separate incidents near aid sites belonging to the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in central and southern Gaza, local medics said. The United Nations says more than 1,000 people have been killed trying to receive aid in the enclave since the GHF began operating in May 2025, most of them shot by Israeli forces operating near GHF sites. "Everyone who goes there, comes back either with a bag of flour or carried back (on a wooden stretcher) as a martyr, or injured. No one comes back safe," said 40-year-old Palestinian Bilal Thari. He was among mourners at Gaza City's Al Shifa hospital on Monday who had gathered to collect the bodies of their loved ones killed a day earlier by Israeli fire as they sought aid, according to Gaza's health officials. At least 13 Palestinians were killed on Sunday while waiting for the arrival of UN aid trucks at the Zikim crossing on the Israeli border with the northern Gaza Strip, the officials added. At the hospital, some bodies were wrapped in thick patterned blankets because white shrouds, which hold special significance in Islamic burials, were in short supply due to continued Israeli border restrictions and the mounting number of daily deaths, Palestinians said. "We don't want war, we want peace, we want this misery to end. We are out on the streets, we all are hungry, we are all in bad shape, women are out there on the streets, we have nothing available for us to live a normal life like all human beings, there's no life," Thari told Reuters. There was no immediate comment by Israel on the incidents of shootings on Sunday and Monday. Israel blames Hamas for the suffering in Gaza and says it is taking steps for more aid to reach its population, including pausing fighting for part of the day in some areas, air drops, and announcing protected routes for aid convoys. Meanwhile, five more people died of starvation or malnutrition over the past 24 hours, Gaza's health ministry said on Monday. The new deaths raised the toll of those dying from hunger to 180, including 93 children, since the war began. U.N. agencies have said that airdrops of food are insufficient and that Israel must let in far more aid by land and quickly ease access to it. COGAT, the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, said that during the past week, over 23,000 tons of humanitarian aid in 1,200 trucks had entered Gaza but that hundreds of the trucks had yet to be driven to aid distribution hubs by U.N. and other international organizations. The Hamas-run Gaza government media office said on Sunday that more than 600 aid trucks had arrived since Israel eased restrictions late in July. However, witnesses and Hamas sources said many of those trucks have been looted by desperate displaced people and armed gangs. Palestinian and UN officials said Gaza needs around 600 aid trucks to enter per day to meet the humanitarian requirements -the number Israel used to allow into Gaza before the war. The Gaza war began when Hamas killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostage in an attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, according to Israeli figures. Israel's offensive has since killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials. According to Israeli officials, 50 hostages now remain in Gaza, only 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
