75,000 Palestinians face catastrophic conditions amid siege on Gaza
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The Israeli occupation continues tightening the noose on northern Gaza despite the catastrophic situation and the urgent UN appeals to allow humanitarian aid into the area.
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Palestinians line up to receive free meals at Jabaliya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on March 18, 2024. (AP)
The United Nations announced a significant disruption in humanitarian aid to northern Gaza for 66 days, leaving between 65,000 and 75,000 Palestinians without food, water, or healthcare.
In northern Gaza, "Israel" continues its suffocating siege on Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, and Jabalia, denying aid to Palestinians trapped there. Moreover, around 5,500 Palestinians were forcibly displaced from three schools in Beit Lahia to Gaza City, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
In addition to the food crisis, OCHA reported that only four bakeries supported by the UN currently operate throughout Gaza, all located in Gaza City.
Sigrid Kaag, the UN's Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Coordinator for the Gaza Reconstruction told reporters after her closed-door briefing to the Security Council on Tuesday that "civilians trying to survive in Gaza are facing a truly catastrophic situation."
She pointed to the "collapse of the legal system and the chaos have worsened the situation, making the UN and many humanitarian organizations unable to deliver food and other basic humanitarian supplies to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in need."
Kaag added that she and other UN officials continue to call on "Israel" to allow aid convoys into northern Gaza and other areas, permit the entry of commercial goods, and reopen the Rafah crossing.
Earlier, Al Mayadeen's correspondent noted that the famine in Gaza has reached its most dangerous stage due to the ongoing Israeli blockade.
Gaza media office reports over 9,900 Israeli occupation massacres
The Government Media Office in Gaza issued a report revealing that "Israel" has committed 9,905 massacres in the Gaza Strip, including 7,160 attacks on Palestinian families, according to key statistics on the ongoing genocide since October 7, 2023.
The report highlights that 1,410 Palestinian families were completely wiped out, with the death of all family members, including parents and children, leaving 5,444 martyrs from these families alone, as reported by the Ministry of Health. The office further stated that the total number of martyrs and missing persons has reached 55,758, including 17,712 children and 12,136 women.
In addition, 3,500 children are at risk of death due to malnutrition, 12,650 injured individuals require treatment abroad, and 12,500 cancer patients are facing life-threatening conditions without access to necessary care.
The report also detailed the impact on medical personnel, with 1,059 medical workers and 88 civil defense members martyred. Israel has set up seven mass graves within hospitals, from which 520 martyrs were recovered. The destruction caused by the occupation extends to 212 shelters and displacement centers, 211 government offices, and 160,500 homes, which were completely demolished after 87,000 tons of explosives were dropped on the strip.
Furthermore, 6,500 Palestinians have been arrested, 2,300 bodies have been stolen from graves, and 2 million people have been displaced. The Israeli occupation has also shut down 34 hospitals and 80 health centers, while 162 health institutions and 135 ambulances were targeted. The total damage in Gaza is estimated at 86%, with initial direct losses from the genocide estimated at $37 billion.
