Death toll from Israeli attacks surpasses 30,000 in Gaza, humanitarian crisis worsening

CAIRO, March 1 (Xinhua) -- More than 30,000 Palestinians in Gaza have died from Israeli attacks as of Thursday amid worsening humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian enclave.

"About one in every 20 children, women and men, are now dead or wounded," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said Thursday, referring to the bloodshed in Gaza as "carnage."

"The war in Gaza must end. Clear violations of international human rights and humanitarian laws, including war crimes and possibly other crimes under international law, have been committed by all parties," he said during the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Over the nearly five months since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on Oct. 7, 2023, 30,035 Palestinians have been killed and 70,475 others injured, including those seeking humanitarian aid, the Hamas-run health ministry said Thursday.

WORSENING HUMANITARIAN CRISIS

"There is no food, no drink, no security, no safety, no shelter -- nothing exists here," said Ayman Shahin, a resident from Gaza City who has been displaced to Deir el-Balah, a city in central Gaza.

"Humanitarian aid barely reaches the camp here. It is very limited and not enough for our children and women," he said.

"No one here gets enough (resources) to meet their needs, and famine is approaching," said Naguib Abu Khaled, a Palestinian man who has been forced to relocate from Gaza City to Deir el-Balah.

During a UN Security Council meeting in January, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said that about 1.9 million people, or 85 percent of Gaza's population, had been forcibly displaced amid Israel's military operations.

At least 576,000 people in the Gaza Strip, or one-quarter of the population, are one step away from famine, Ramesh Rajasingham, director of the Coordination Division of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told the Security Council on Tuesday. A Palestinian source, who spoke to Xinhua anonymously, said many local residents were limited to one meal a day and not all the people could get their share of food aid.

With hunger and infectious diseases spreading within the small enclave, Gazan residents may even face a deadly risk in accessing humanitarian aid.

At least 112 Palestinians were killed and 760 others wounded in an Israeli attack as they were waiting for aid in western Gaza City on Thursday. Local eyewitnesses told Xinhua that the Israeli army targeted a gathering of civilians with artillery and guns.

An Israeli military spokesman claimed that the troops opened fire "in self-defense" after Gazans attacked and looted aid trucks. He said dozens of Gazans were injured in the chaos, some by being crushed or trampled.

POTENTIAL CEASEFIRE

Ceasefire talks have resumed in Doha this week between "specialists from Egypt, Qatar, the United States and Israel" as well as Hamas representatives, Egyptian media reported.

No breakthrough has been announced, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the military offensive.

He said Sunday that an Israeli military operation into Rafah, the southernmost Gazan city, home to about 1.4 million Palestinians, would secure a "total victory" over Hamas within a few weeks.

The prospect of an assault on Rafah has sparked widespread international appeals to Israel to exercise restraint.

Egypt is reportedly threatening to suspend its peace treaty with Israel if the latter sends troops into densely-populated Rafah. According to media reports, the United States, Israel's key ally, has proposed a draft UN Security Council resolution cautioning against a "major ground offensive" into Rafah.

In addition, the Israeli killing of Palestinians seeking food aid may further complicate the ceasefire negotiations.

Hamas said the incident could undermine talks aimed at securing a ceasefire and releasing Israeli hostages. U.S. President Joe Biden has acknowledged that the negotiations would be complicated by the incident.

ISRAEL UNDER MOUNTING PRESSURE

Last week, Netanyahu unveiled his first post-war plan for Gaza, which advocated for Israel's "security control" over Palestinian territories following the conflict and underlined Netanyahu's opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The plan, rejected by Palestine, also contradicts the U.S. policy, as Biden has said that only a two-state solution has a chance of achieving lasting peace.

Israeli politicians are also facing mounting pressure due to the dire situation of the estimated 130 hostages still held in Gaza. At least 35 of them are believed to be dead, according to Israeli figures.

During a truce last November, more than 100 hostages were released as part of an agreement that included a week-long cessation of hostilities and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

On Wednesday, families of Israeli hostages embarked on a four-day march from near the Gaza Strip to Jerusalem, demanding the release of their loved ones.

Video footage showed that they were marching with posters and T-shirts bearing images of their relatives, chanting "Now! Now! Now!"