Amidst the ongoing turmoil in Southern Gaza, where intense Israeli bombardment has brought about a dire humanitarian crisis, voices for heightened aid and support are amplifying. The relentless airstrikes and escalating tensions have thrust the region into a state of urgent need, prompting a surge in appeals for increased assistance to address the mounting challenges faced by the populace. This article delves into the critical situation unfolding in Southern Gaza, shedding light on the pressing calls for expanded aid efforts in the midst of a tumultuous period marked by conflict and hardship.
The southern Gaza Strip experienced heavy Israeli bombardment overnight, defying calls for an immediate ceasefire in the region grappling with the looming threat of famine.
Gaza, besieged and in dire need of assistance, is facing a critical humanitarian crisis. Despite Hamas urging the United States to halt airdrops, citing 18 deaths during attempts to access food packages, the US has committed to continuing the airdrop operations.
In the southern city of Rafah, the last major center in Gaza yet to have been hit by Israeli ground troops, a fireball lit up the night sky. The area is home to some 1.5 million people, many of whom have fled southward toward the Egyptian border.
In Gaza City to the north, where Israeli forces have been assaulting the city’s main hospital for more than a week, there were also reports of explosions and billowing smoke.
The Gaza health ministry, under Hamas control, said early on Wednesday that 66 people had died during the course of the previous night, three of them as a result of Israeli airstrikes in and around Rafah.
Two days after the UN Security Council adopted its first resolution demanding a “immediate ceasefire” and the release of the approximately 130 hostages that Israel claims are still in Gaza, including 34 prisoners who are thought to be dead, the combat continued unabatedly.
Additionally, Israeli soldiers have encircled two hospitals in Khan Younis. According to the health ministry, an Israeli strike on a camp for the displaced resulted in the deaths of twelve individuals, including young children.
Thousands of people were trapped at the Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis, and the Palestinian Red Crescent has issued a warning, saying that “their lives are in danger”.
MAN-MADE FAMINE
The desperation of residents besieged by the war is highlighted by the fact that Hamas has urged donor nations to cease airdrops after 12 people perished while attempting to retrieve food items that had been parachuted from the Mediterranean Sea near Gaza’s coast.
According to Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, a Swiss organization, and Hamas, six more civilians were murdered in stampedes while attempting to get supplies.
“People are dying just to get a can of tuna,” Gaza resident Mohamad al-Sabaawi said to AFP, clutching a can during a panic over an aid delivery.
In addition, Hamas has insisted that Israel let additional relief vehicles to access the region, which the UN has said is in danger of a “man-made famine” following over six months of warfare.
Following Hamas’s historic attack on Israel on October 7, the war broke out, destroying Gaza’s infrastructure and leaving all 2.4 million residents in need of humanitarian relief, according to aid organizations.
To prevent a “imminent famine,” a great deal more aid has to be sent into Gaza via road as opposed to air or sea, according to UNICEF, the UN children’s fund.
Required assistance, according to UNICEF spokesperson James Elder, was “a matter of kilometres away” in trucks loaded with supplies waiting on the other side of Gaza’s southern border with Egypt.
In a statement, the US National Security Council said that it will keep attempting to deliver supplies via road while simultaneously carrying on with airdrops.
On Tuesday, assistance packages dropped by parachute from planes provided by Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Germany were met by crowds, according to AFPTV footage.
POLITICAL ISOLATION
An AFP count of Israeli government numbers indicates that 1,160 people died in Israel as a consequence of the strike on October 7, the majority of them were civilians.
The health ministry reports that at least 32,414 individuals have died in Gaza as a result of Israel’s retaliatory attack against Hamas, the majority of them were women and children.
Israeli military officials claim that their planes have hit over 60 targets, including buildings and tunnels “in which armed terrorists were identified,” demonstrating that their force is not backing down from their offensive against Hamas.
In a resolution adopted on Monday, the UN Security Council called for an end to hostilities for the final two weeks of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, with the goal of establishing a “lasting” ceasefire.
Leading ally of Israel, the United States, which had vetoed earlier resolutions, did not vote, forcing Israel to postpone a high official visit from the US.
Israel, according to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, is going through “unprecedented political isolation” and is no longer receiving “protection” from the US in the Security Council.
The United States has shown growing concern about the humanitarian cost and has recoiled at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s intention to mount a ground offensive on Rafah.
“The number of civilian casualties is far too high, and the amount of humanitarian aid is far too low” in Gaza, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stated prior to meeting with his Israeli counterpart.
