Euro-Med: 14 Elderly Palestinians Die of Starvation in Gaza in Only One Week
DayofPal– The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached catastrophic proportions, with starvation now claiming the lives of elderly Palestinians under Israel's ongoing siege, according to a report released Saturday by the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor.
The Geneva-based organization revealed that 14 elderly Gazans have died over the past week due to acute malnutrition, describing the situation as a 'silent death wave' sweeping the besieged enclave.
The group warned that the deadly living conditions, exacerbated by Israel's comprehensive blockade, are no longer limited to the most vulnerable but are impacting the entire population of Gaza.
'Starvation is no longer confined to the weak or ill. It is indiscriminate and now threatens every resident in Gaza,' the organization stated.
Euro-Med reported that most of the recent elderly victims suffered from severe anemia and critical deficiencies in essential proteins and minerals.
Local hospitals, already crippled by the blockade, have reportedly admitted dozens of elderly patients in critical condition due to extreme malnutrition.
The human rights monitor also criticized the lack of a functioning tracking system within Gaza's Health Ministry, noting that many starvation-related deaths are misclassified as 'natural,' thereby obscuring the scale of the crisis.
'These are not natural deaths,' the organization emphasized. 'They follow a systematic pattern that suggests intentional deprivation, an act prohibited under international humanitarian and criminal law.'
Since March 2, Israel has enforced a total siege on the Gaza Strip, halting the flow of food, water, medicine, and fuel.
Humanitarian agencies, including several United Nations bodies, have repeatedly issued dire warnings that a full-scale famine is imminent. According to the rights group, no humanitarian aid has entered the territory since early March, and most established delivery routes remain sealed.
In the 19 months since Israel launched its military campaign, more than 172,000 Palestinians have been reported killed or injured, with thousands still missing under the rubble or unaccounted for.
The blockade has now driven hunger deep into all layers of Gazan society, with the elderly and children increasingly succumbing to the effects of deprivation.
Shortlink for this post: https://daysofpalestine.ps/?p=62807
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Days of Palestine
4 days ago
- Days of Palestine
WFP: Over 70,000 Children in Gaza Suffering from Acute Malnutrition
DaysofPal – The World Food Program (WFP) has raised alarms over the deteriorating health crisis in Gaza, revealing that more than 70,000 children are now experiencing acute malnutrition. The organization warned that any intensification of hostilities could bring humanitarian aid efforts to a near-total standstill. In a statement issued Thursday, the WFP emphasized that the volume and type of aid currently reaching Gaza are grossly inadequate to address the urgent needs on the ground. This update comes amid mounting concern from both local and international actors about an impending famine. According to UN assessments, the entire population of Gaza—around 2.2 million people—is facing the real threat of starvation. Heartbreaking reports and images have surfaced showing children dying from hunger. Nearly 20 months into Israel's military campaign in Gaza, the toll continues to climb. The Ministry of Health in Gaza reports over 54,000 Palestinians killed and around 125,000 wounded. Thousands remain missing beneath rubble or in areas inaccessible due to relentless Israeli strikes. After more than two months of a full blockade, a limited number of UN aid trucks were permitted entry into Gaza starting May 19. However, humanitarian agencies, including UN bodies, have described the delivered aid as negligible compared to the massive scale of the crisis. Israeli forces, with consistent backing from the United States, have been carrying out a large-scale campaign in Gaza since October 7, 2023. The violence has left more than 179,000 Palestinians either dead or injured, most of them women and children. Over 11,000 are still missing, and hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee their homes. The WFP's findings underscore a humanitarian disaster spiraling out of control, where access to food and medical aid remains severely limited and the youngest continue to pay the heaviest price.
Days of Palestine
4 days ago
- Days of Palestine
Dozens of Palestinians killed in fresh Israeli airstrikes, including 4 journalists
DaysofPal – The Israeli military stepped up its attacks on residential areas and displacement camps in the Gaza Strip, killing at least 70 Palestinians and injuring almost 190 others since dawn Wednesday, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. Early Thursday morning, heavy bombardments targeted multiple locations across the enclave, including hospitals, tents for displaced civilians, and residential neighborhoods. Among the dead were children, journalists, and entire families. At least 38 people were killed in overnight raids, according to medical sources at Nasser, Al-Maqadmi, and Al-Shifa hospitals. In Gaza City, four journalists were killed in an Israeli drone strike near Al-Maqadmi Hospital while covering the aftermath of the attacks. Press sources confirmed the journalists were directly targeted. At the Baptist Hospital in Gaza, its director, Dr. Fadel Naim, said that Israeli forces struck the facility for the eighth time since the start of the war, killing four people and wounding several others. In Khan Yunis, southern Gaza, a drone strike on tents sheltering displaced Palestinians killed six people, including four members of the same family. Fifteen others were wounded. Earlier bombardments had forced families to seek shelter, and witnesses recounted scenes of destruction. Elsewhere in the Strip, further casualties were reported. In Al-Shati Camp west of Gaza City, an Israeli strike killed three people, including a child and an elderly man. Doctors at Al-Shifa Hospital said several of the wounded were in critical condition. A separate drone attack on a home in Deir al-Balah killed a young girl and injured several others. In the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood of Gaza City, another airstrike killed four Palestinians, with several others wounded, including children and women. Israeli forces also continued ground operations, including the demolition of residential buildings in the town of Al-Qarara, northeast of Khan Yunis. Eyewitnesses reported heavy artillery shelling in multiple neighborhoods across Khan Yunis, including Batn Al-Samin, Al-Katiba, and Street 5. Despite mounting international pressure to end the war, the Israeli army's chief of staff reaffirmed that it 'is not over yet.' The latest escalation comes amid mounting accusations of genocide by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza, with the war now stretching into its eighth month. Since the beginning of the war on October 7, 2023, over 180,000 Palestinians have been killed or wounded, the vast majority of them women and children. More than 11,000 remain missing. The offensive has displaced hundreds of thousands and created a catastrophic humanitarian crisis marked by widespread famine, especially among children. Shortlink for this post:
Days of Palestine
5 days ago
- Days of Palestine
Disguised aid: Israel's distribution system in Gaza masks a campaign of genocide
DaysofPal – The world continues to wait for the enforcement of international justice while Israel's genocide in Gaza rages into its eighth month. Since October 7, 2023, Israel has intensified its assault, introducing new types of weaponry, including incendiary munitions, in a campaign of terror, starvation, and indiscriminate killing. Despite repeated rulings by the International Criminal Court, enforcement remains absent. Meanwhile, Gaza endures relentless violence and an engineered famine. More than 600 days into this war, Israel has weaponized food aid, militarizing distribution and punishing those who seek to survive. On Tuesday, hospitals across Gaza, including Al-Shifa, Al-Aqsa, and Nasser, reported at least 42 Palestinian deaths by Israeli fire in various parts of the Strip, including 27 killed in a massacre targeting aid seekers in Rafah. According to Al-Shifa hospital, two Palestinians were killed and others wounded in an Israeli airstrike on Jabalia in northern Gaza. Al-Aqsa hospital reported receiving the bodies of three Palestinians and several wounded after an Israeli bombing struck two tents sheltering displaced civilians in Deir al-Balah. These incidents coincided with another deadly attack in western Rafah, where 24 Palestinians were killed and over 200 injured while waiting for food assistance. This event is yet another deliberate targeting of desperate civilians. The motivation behind seeking aid was not opportunistic; it was survival. Entire families, displaced and starving, ventured out from makeshift tents among the rubble in search of flour or canned food, responding to announcements of Israeli-supervised aid in so-called 'safe' zones. But what followed was chaos and carnage. Witnesses described scenes of panic as people were shot and injured. With ambulances unable to reach the site, victims were transported using animal-drawn carts. In testimonies gathered by Anadolu Agency, wounded survivors and their families recounted the harrowing experience of being caught between hunger and gunfire. Israeli drones and tanks opened fire even in designated aid areas, leaving behind bloodied bodies and searing memories. Since May 27, Israel has implemented a controversial new aid distribution scheme through the 'Humanitarian Gaza Foundation,' backed by Israeli and American interests but rejected by the United Nations. The Israeli military designated four distribution points: three in southern Gaza and one in the Netzarim corridor dividing the north and south. This system, run without oversight from the UN or international relief agencies, has been widely condemned as a tactic to forcibly displace Palestinians from northern Gaza. Aid is limited and only available in buffer zones, while the military shoots at crowds of starving civilians. Since the mechanism began, at least 99 Palestinians have been killed and hundreds injured near these aid points, according to Anadolu's monitoring of Palestinian sources. 'We just wanted food': Voices from the survivors 'We went to get food, and my brother was shot.' Yazan Musleh, whose 13-year-old brother Yazid was wounded, said, 'We were sitting in our tent. When we heard about the food, we ran toward the distribution center. My father had us sit in an area they said was safe, but it wasn't.' He added, 'They started shooting randomly. My brother waved at the drone not to shoot, but the bullet entered his stomach and tore his insides out.' 'We managed to get him help using a donkey cart. We came back with nothing but his injury. We just wanted something to stop our hunger.' 'We went based on Israeli instructions.' Khaled Al-Lahham, who was also injured, said, 'They told us it was a safe humanitarian zone. Suddenly, bullets rained down. I was hit; others were hit; many died. We only wanted food. We haven't eaten in a week.' 'When we got there, they surrounded us from every direction: tanks, drones, helicopters. I went for food for my children. I came back with a bullet in my back.' Another survivor, Mohammed Al-Basyouni, said he left at dawn from between Rafah and Khan Younis, determined to bring food for his ailing father. 'My mother begged me not to go, but I insisted. We needed food. As soon as I arrived, shooting began. I was hit in the back. They took me in a tuk-tuk. I had surgery and survived. Others didn't.' He concluded, 'We knew we might die, but we had no choice. Hunger is deadly. We want this war and siege to end. We want this nightmare to stop.' The Gaza Government Media Office said that this distribution mechanism was a 'tool of genocide' and a means of forced displacement. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk echoed this, warning that the Israeli aid strategy 'threatens lives and violates international standards.' Türk stated that 'the deadly attacks on desperate civilians trying to obtain minimal food aid in Gaza are unacceptable' and reminded that 'attacks targeting civilians constitute grave breaches of international law and war crimes.' As of Tuesday morning, the number of Palestinians killed at aid centers rose to 102 in just eight days. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an 'immediate, independent investigation' into the killings, expressing deep horror and stating that 'it is unacceptable for Palestinians to risk their lives for food.' He emphasized Israel's clear obligations under international law to allow and facilitate humanitarian aid and called for 'the urgent restoration of unimpeded humanitarian access.' The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor accused Israel of weaponizing humanitarian aid as part of a 'genocidal apparatus' and said that the system is being used to 'forcibly transfer' the population of Gaza. The organization noted that Israel has kept aid crossings closed for over 90 days, driving Gaza's 2.2 million people toward famine. The residents of the Gaza Strip are suffering from a rising famine due to the ongoing Israeli siege, which has lasted for nearly three months. This has pushed one in five Palestinians to the brink of actual starvation, according to UN reports. The latest data from the 'Integrated Food Security Phase Classification' indicates that approximately 1.95 million people, or 93% of the Strip's population, are facing a severe food shortage, reflecting the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe. Northern Gaza, in particular, is experiencing even more extreme levels of hunger amidst chaos at aid distribution points, which reflects the growing desperation among the population. The UN body reported that the continuation of the Israeli siege will likely lead to waves of mass displacement, both internal and external, which is what the Israeli occupation desires. Shortlink for this post:
