Intense Israeli airstrikes have pounded residential areas of Gaza City for three consecutive days, as international leaders warned of a worsening humanitarian catastrophe and urged immediate action to prevent mass starvation.
Mahmud Bassal, spokesperson for Gaza’s Hamas-run civil defence agency, said the Zeitoun and Sabra neighbourhoods have suffered “massive destruction to civilian homes,” leaving residents unable to recover the dead and injured.
The latest escalation comes as Israel’s war cabinet voted to take over Gaza City, prompting condemnation at an emergency UN Security Council meeting. On Tuesday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it was “at the beginning of a new stage of combat,” though no timetable has been given for when forces will entre.
The UK, EU, Australia, Canada, and Japan issued a joint statement warning that “famine is unfolding in front of our eyes” and calling for “immediate, permanent and concrete steps” to allow aid into Gaza. The statement also demanded an end to the use of lethal force near aid distribution sites, where UN figures suggest more than 1,300 Palestinians have been killed, mostly by Israeli fire.
Israel has denied claims of starvation, accusing UN agencies of failing to collect and distribute aid from the border.
The World Health Organization (WHO) appealed to Israel to allow urgent stockpiling of medical supplies before it seizes control of Gaza City. “We need to get all essential medicines and supplies in,” said Rik Peeperkorn, WHO’s representative in the Palestinian territories, warning of a “catastrophic” health crisis.
The Hamas-run health ministry said 100 people had been killed in the past 24 hours, including 31 at aid sites. It also reported five deaths from malnutrition. Since the war began, at least 61,599 Palestinians have been killed, according to the ministry, a toll the UN deems credible.
In a rare statement, “The Elders” a group of former world leaders, described the war in Gaza as an “unfolding genocide” and accused Israel of causing famine. Helen Clark, former prime minister of New Zealand, and Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland, said their visit to the Gaza border reinforced the conclusion that the famine is “human-caused” and part of a wider campaign to destroy Palestinian society.
Leading Israeli rights group B’Tselem echoed the charge, calling Israel’s actions an attempt to “destroy Palestinian society in the Gaza Strip.” Israel has dismissed such claims, insisting its forces target Hamas fighters, not civilians, and placing blame for civilian suffering on Hamas.
The war was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.