The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has declared that Gaza is experiencing man-made mass starvation caused by the blockade of aid. His warning comes as more than 100 aid agencies, including Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam International and Amnesty International, urged Israel to allow supplies in to alleviate the crisis.
A letter from the 109 agencies stated that the Israeli government is blocking humanitarian organisations from effectively distributing life-saving aid. It quoted an aid worker in Gaza saying, 'Children tell their parents they want to go to heaven, because at least heaven has food.'
Increasing numbers of people are dying from lack of food. Gaza’s health authority reported at least 10 deaths from starvation in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 111, including 80 children. Daily aid distribution averages about 28 trucks, compared with 500 before the war.
Israeli killings of civilians have also risen, with an analysis of UN data showing one person killed every 12 minutes in July. Israeli strikes on Wednesday killed at least 21 people, more than half of them women and children. Two Palestinian journalists were among the dead, bringing the total media workers killed to 229 since the war began.
Food distribution is now handled by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), whose sites have been described by UN officials as 'death traps'. UN officials report that the Israeli military has killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to reach food distribution sites since the end of May.
Momentum for a ceasefire appears to be growing. The US envoy for the Middle East was heading to Rome for meetings, and gaps between Hamas and Israel have been slowly bridged, though serious obstacles remain.
