The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is worsening at an alarming pace, with United Nations officials warning of a deepening famine as Israeli airstrikes continue to kill civilians across the besieged enclave.

Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told Al Mayadeen that hunger-related deaths have now "far surpassed 300," stressing the danger of any new military assault on Gaza City, "the place where famine was declared and is marked by high population density."

Adnan Abu Hasna, Media Adviser for UNRWA, described conditions in Gaza City as "beyond catastrophe." He cautioned that the official casualty figures understate the true toll, since they do not include deaths from untreated diseases or those buried in makeshift graves inside tents.

Famine and starvation deaths rise

Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Gaza reported that the ongoing blockade amounts to a "war of starvation," with aid trucks entering the Strip delivering "only a  drop in the needs of the Strip." The Gaza Ministry of Health said that over the past 24 hours, 13 people, including three children, died of starvation, raising the total famine death toll to 361, among them 130 children.

According to the ministry, the overall death toll since October 7, 2023, has reached 63,633, with more than 160,000 injured. It noted that 2,306 people have now been killed and over 16,900 wounded while trying to obtain food aid, described as "breadwinner martyrs."

Calls for accountability

UN officials accuse the Israeli regime of deliberately engineering famine conditions, saying the crisis is "made by the Israeli government." They are demanding a ceasefire and unrestricted humanitarian access to prevent further deaths.

Read more: International community's inaction toward Gaza a 'disgrace': Hamas

This comes as Israeli strikes on Tuesday killed at least 33 Palestinians in Khan Younis and central Gaza. In the al-Attar area of Khan Younis, seven children were among nine people killed while filling water from a tanker. In central Gaza City, Civil Defense said 13 people, including three children and two women, were killed in the al-Daraj neighborhood after a residential building was struck, leaving several children still trapped beneath the rubble.

At al-Awda Hospital in al-Nuseirat, doctors confirmed receiving 10 bodies and 10 wounded from another airstrike that hit civilians waiting near an aid distribution point on Salah al-Din Street.