Gaza under fire, famine: Escalation deepens amid unclear hopes for ceasefire

Daily News Egypt

28-06-2025

The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced on Saturday that its fighters had targeted four Israeli engineering vehicles east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza using 'Yassin-105' shells, claiming to have inflicted multiple casualties on Israeli forces.
Meanwhile, the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, reported a series of attacks across the besieged enclave, including the downing of an Israeli reconnaissance drone over the Shuja'iyya neighbourhood of Gaza City.
The strikes came on the 103rd day of renewed fighting, as the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to spiral. The Government Media Office in Gaza said the number of children who have died from malnutrition has risen to 66, amid warnings from health officials that thousands more are at imminent risk of starvation due to the ongoing Israeli blockade and severe restrictions on aid.
Gaza's Health Ministry reported that hospitals had received 81 fatalities and 422 wounded individuals in the past 24 hours, raising the overall death toll since 7 October 2023, to more than 56,000, with over 133,000 injured.
Israeli airstrikes continued to pound multiple areas of Gaza throughout the day. Medical sources confirmed that at least 60 Palestinians had been killed since Saturday morning. Simultaneously, in the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces launched a new wave of raids and arrests, while settler violence against Palestinian residents has also escalated.
On the humanitarian front, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warned that Gaza's healthcare system is facing 'critical challenges,' citing the widespread destruction of medical facilities and ongoing restrictions on fuel and medical supplies.
UNRWA spokesperson Adnan Abu Hasna condemned the current US-Israeli aid delivery mechanism, describing it as 'harsh and abhorrent,' and urged a return to UN-supervised distribution. He accused the mechanism of transforming aid routes into 'a killing zone,' pointing to over 400 deaths from starvation-related causes since the system was introduced a month ago.
UNRWA reiterated its call for an immediate ceasefire and the urgent lifting of the siege to enable the regular delivery of life-saving aid into Gaza.
In a separate statement, Hamas accused Israel of committing war crimes through systematic starvation and indiscriminate bombardment, specifically targeting children. The group urged the international community to intervene and claimed the United States was offering political cover to Israel, enabling what it described as 'ongoing atrocities.'
Hamas said the deaths of over 66 children from starvation alone amounted to a violation of international humanitarian law, stressing that the continued siege was an intentional act of collective punishment.
Meanwhile, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth quoted government officials expressing surprise and skepticism over US President Donald Trump's claim that a ceasefire deal could be finalised as early as next week. Israeli sources stated there had been no notable progress in indirect negotiations between Hamas and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, casting doubt on Trump's optimism.
They suggested the US president's comments may reflect 'wishful thinking' or a political manoeuvre aimed at capitalising on the recent de-escalation with Iran.
In Europe, tens of thousands rallied across major cities—including Rome, Berlin, Eindhoven, and Manchester—demanding an immediate end to the war in Gaza and stronger international intervention to halt the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe.
Despite mounting civilian casualties, the spread of famine, and growing international outcry, hopes for a comprehensive ceasefire remain dim, as both military operations and political stalemates persist.