At Least 63 Killed as Israeli Forces Push Deeper Into Gaza City, UN Declares First-Ever Middle East Famine
At least 63 Palestinians were killed Saturday as Israeli forces intensified their assault on Gaza City, pushing tanks deeper into the Sabra neighborhood and shelling areas sheltering displaced families.
A footage showed armored vehicles advancing into Sabra, near Zeitoun, which has been under relentless bombardment. A Gaza City hospital source confirmed a child was among the latest victims.
In Khan Younis, Israeli artillery struck tents sheltering displaced families in the Asdaa area, killing 16 people, including six children, according to medical sources. At least 22 others were killed throughout the day while seeking humanitarian aid, including two civilians fatally shot near Israeli-controlled aid distribution points.
Meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that eight more Palestinians, including two children, died from malnutrition in the past 24 hours. This raises the famine-related death toll to 281 since Israel’s war began nearly two years ago, with 114 of them children.
“The famine is silently ravaging the bodies of civilians, depriving children of their right to life, and turning tents and hospitals into daily scenes of tragedy,” said Munir al-Bursh, Gaza’s health chief.
On Friday, the United Nations declared an official famine in Gaza the first such designation in the Middle East. The UN accused Israel of “systematic obstruction” of aid deliveries, with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calling the famine a “man-made disaster.”
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system, a global hunger monitor, warned that 514,000 Palestinians are already experiencing famine a figure expected to rise to 641,000 by September.
The Palestinian Health Ministry welcomed the famine declaration but criticised its delay, describing starvation as “an engineered aspect of genocide” alongside mass killings and the destruction of Gaza’s health sector.
Since May 27, Israel has enforced its unilateral aid delivery system, the so-called GHF mechanism, backed by Washington. The UN and major relief organizations rejected the scheme as illegitimate and inconsistent with humanitarian principles.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, more than 2,076 Palestinians have been killed and 15,300 wounded while seeking aid under the GHF framework.
Overall, Israel’s war has killed more than 62,600 Palestinians since the Hamas-led October 2023 attack on southern Israel.
Erizia Rubyjeana
