Israeli ground and air operations have killed more than 31,500 people in Gaza (file photo)
Jerusalem:
The United Nations’ main aid agency in Gaza said on Saturday that severe malnutrition is accelerating in the northern part of the Palestinian enclave as Israel prepares to send a delegation to Qatar to negotiate a new ceasefire over a hostage deal with Hamas.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) says one-third of children under the age of two in northern Gaza are now severely malnourished, with looming famine putting further pressure on Israel.
Israel said on Friday it would send a delegation to Qatar for more talks with mediators after its foe Hamas proposed a new ceasefire and exchange of hostages and prisoners.
Sources familiar with the negotiations said the delegation would be led by David Bania, the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to convene his security cabinet to discuss the proposal before negotiations begin. Netanyahu’s office said Hamas’ proposal was still based on “unrealistic demands.”
As efforts to secure a ceasefire ahead of the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan a week ago have repeatedly failed, Israel said it planned to launch a new offensive in Rafah, the last relatively safe settlement in the crowded little Gaza Strip after five months of war. City.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who began a two-day visit to the region, expressed concern about the attack on Rafah, saying it could lead to “many horrific civilian casualties.”
On Friday, Netanyahu’s office said he had approved an attack plan on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have taken refuge, and civilians would be evacuated. It gave no time frame and there was no immediate evidence of additional preparations at the scene.
humanitarian crisis
The conflict began on October 7, when Hamas sent militants into Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 252 hostages, according to Israeli statistics.
According to the health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza, Israeli ground and air operations have killed more than 31,500 people, mostly women and children.
The attack also devastated the enclave, forcing nearly all residents from their homes, leaving much of the territory in ruins and triggering a massive hunger crisis.
“Malnutrition among children in Gaza is spreading rapidly and reaching unprecedented levels,” UNRWA posted on social media. Hospitals in Gaza reported that some children had died due to malnutrition and dehydration.
Western countries have called on Israel to do more to allow aid, with the United Nations saying Israel faces “overwhelming obstacles” including closed crossings, cumbersome vetting, movement restrictions and unrest in Gaza.
Israel says it imposes no restrictions on the humanitarian aid it provides to Gaza civilians and blames the slow delivery of aid on the incompetence or inefficiency of U.N. agencies.
Air and sea shipments of relief supplies to Gaza have begun.
The charity said World Central Kitchen has opened a new sea route via Cyprus and the first cargo arrived and was unloaded on Friday.
Cypriot President Nicos Christodoulides said a second shipment of food aid was ready to leave by sea from Cyprus on Saturday, while the United States and Jordan said they had airdropped humanitarian aid.
Queen Rania of Jordan said in an interview with CNN that the airdrop was “really just a drop in an ocean of unmet need” and accused Israel of “cutting off everything that is needed to sustain human life: food, fuel, Medicines and water”.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
