&w=3840&q=100)
Six more die of starvation in Gaza as UN fuel trucks arrive, says Israel
Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in the central Gaza Strip. File image/ Reuters
Six more people died of malnutrition and starvation in Gaza in the last 24 hours, the health ministry reported on Sunday, as Israel announced it permitted fuel to be sent to the enclave, which is in the grip of a humanitarian disaster after almost two years of conflict.
The fresh fatalities bring the total number of people killed by what international humanitarian organisations believe to be an emerging famine to 175, including 93 children, since the war began, according to the ministry.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Egypt's state-run Al Qahera News TV said that two trucks carrying 107 tonnes of diesel were about to enter Gaza, months after Israel severely limited aid access to the territory before relaxing it somewhat as starvation began to spread.
COGAT, the Israeli military organisation that handles relief, announced later in the day that four tankers of UN fuel had arrived to assist hospitals, bakeries, public kitchens, and other essential amenities.
There was no immediate indication that the two diesel fuel trucks had reached Gaza via Egypt.
According to Gaza's health ministry, fuel shortages have significantly hampered hospital services, requiring physicians to treat only the most seriously ill or injured patients.
Fuel shipments have been scarce since March, when Israel stopped the flow of aid into the enclave in order to put pressure on Hamas terrorists to release the remaining hostages kidnapped during their October 2023 attack on Israel.
Israel blames Hamas for the suffering in Gaza but, in response to a rising international uproar, it announced steps last week to let more aid reach the population, including pausing fighting for part of the day in some areas, approving air drops and announcing protected routes for aid convoys.
UN agencies say airdrops are insufficient and that Israel must let in far more aid by land and open up access to the territory to prevent starvation among its 2.2 million people, most of whom are displaced amidst vast swathes of rubble.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
COGAT said that during the past week over 23,000 tons of humanitarian aid in 1,200 trucks had entered Gaza but that hundreds of the trucks had yet to be driven to aid distribution hubs by UN and other international organisations.
Meanwhile, Belgium's air force dropped the first in a series of its aid packages into Gaza on Sunday in a joint operation with Jordan, the Belgian defence ministry said.
France on Friday started to air-drop 40 tons of humanitarian aid.
LOOTED AID TRUCKS
The Hamas-run Gaza government media office said on Sunday that nearly 1,600 aid trucks had arrived since Israel eased restrictions late in July. However, witnesses and Hamas sources said many of those trucks have been looted by desperate displaced people and armed gangs.
More than 700 trucks of fuel entered the Gaza Strip in January and February during a ceasefire before Israel broke it in March in a dispute over terms for extending it and resumed its major offensive.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Palestinian local health authorities said at least 40 people had been killed by Israeli gunfire and airstrikes across the coastal enclave on Sunday. Deaths included persons trying to make their way to aid distribution points in southern and central areas of Gaza, Palestinian medics said.
Among those killed was a staff member of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, which said an Israeli strike at their headquarters in Khan Younis in southern Gaza ignited a fire on the first floor of the building.
The Gaza war began when Hamas killed more than 1,200 people and took 251 hostage in a cross-border attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, according to Israeli figures. Israel's air and ground war in densely populated Gaza has since killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, according to enclave health officials.
According to Israeli officials, 50 hostages now remain in Gaza, only 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
4 hours ago
- NDTV
Man Finds Street Food Wrapped In Sensitive Medical Records, Hospital Fined
A private hospital in Thailand improperly disposed of over 1,000 pages of confidential patient records, which were later used as wrappers for street food in Ubon Ratchathani province in the northeastern part of the country. Thailand's Personal Data Protection Committee took action, and the hospital was fined 1.21 million baht, equivalent to approximately US$37,000, for violating the country's data privacy laws. The committee also emphasised the need for strict data privacy measures. The incident went viral after a social media influencer, whose name is translated as Doctor Lab Panda, posted the medical documents being used as a wrapper for crispy crepe, known locally as khanom Tokyo. The records included personal identifiers and diagnosis details, compromising patient confidentiality. As per the influencer, the patient details were visible on the wrapper, as one document showed clearly that it was that of a man infected with the hepatitis B virus. "Should I continue eating it, or is this enough?" the influencer asked as quoted by the South China Morning Post (SCMP). Private hospital in Bangkok fined THB 1.2 million by the PDPA! Medical records of patients were leaked and reused as wrapping for Tokyo street pancakes. #Thailand #PDPA #DataProtection #Privacy — YOZZO (@Yozzo) August 2, 2025 According to a report by the Bangkok Post, the hospital stated that it had outsourced document disposal to a small business. However, they didn't follow up. The report further stated that the business owner admitted to the fault, explaining that the documents were leaked after being stored at their home. The SCMP report stated that social media users slammed the hospital. As quoted, one user said, "More importance should be given to the personal rights of patients. The hospital should be sued and its licence revoked." "Buyers should boycott shops that use recycled bags like this. Vendors want to cut costs even though they know it is not safe. The medical documents should be shredded instead of being sold," said another
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Time of India
Agilent opens new biopharma centre in Hyd
Hyderabad: US-based analytical and clinical laboratory technologies player Agilent Technologies Inc has opened its new biopharma experience centre in Hyderabad. The facility will offer advanced laboratory technologies, expert training, and regulatory-ready workflows to expedite the development of high-quality, life-saving medicines. It will provide comprehensive solutions in chromatography, mass spectrometry, cell analysis, and lab informatics, enabling companies to simulate real lab environments and develop market-ready solutions, Agilent said. The new centre will also drive collaboration between industry and academia, support faster R&D, and align with international regulatory standards. Inaugurating the new facility on Tuesday, Telangana IT and industries minister Duddila Sridhar Babu said the centre will bolster Hyderabad's position as a leader in life sciences and healthcare innovation. He said Hyderabad's robust life sciences ecosystem contributes to nearly one-third of India's pharmaceutical production and 40% of bulk drug exports. You Can Also Check: Hyderabad AQI | Weather in Hyderabad | Bank Holidays in Hyderabad | Public Holidays in Hyderabad Agilent Technologies CEO Padraig McDonnell said: "India is a strategic growth market for Agilent, and Hyderabad is at the forefront of biopharma innovation. This new centre reflects our commitment to delivering integrated solutions that help bring life-changing therapies to market faster and more efficiently. It also reinforces our support for the 'Make-in-India' initiative by empowering local innovation, nurturing talent, and enabling scalable, affordable, and sustainable solutions. " He said the investment is part of the company's broader strategy to expand its footprint in India and position it as a strategic hub in its global innovation roadmap.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
17 hours ago
- First Post
After starvation, thirst grips Gaza: Aid workers say water crisis as severe as food shortage
In addition to the hunger crisis, Gaza is also in the grips of a severe water shortage. As the Israeli bombardment has destroyed most of Gaza's water supply and sanitation infrastructure, some small desalination units run by aid agencies are the only source of potable water, with most of the water used in Gaza drawn from wells in a brackish aquifer that has been further polluted by sewage and chemicals seeping through the rubble, spreading diarrhoea and hepatitis. read more Weakened by hunger, many Gazans trek across a ruined landscape each day to haul all their drinking and washing water — a painful load that is still far below the levels needed to keep people healthy. Even as global attention has turned to starvation in Gaza, where after 22 months of a devastating Israeli military campaign a global hunger monitor says a famine scenario is unfolding, the water crisis is just as severe according to aid groups. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Though some water comes from small desalination units run by aid agencies, most is drawn from wells in a brackish aquifer that has been further polluted by sewage and chemicals seeping through the rubble, spreading diarrhoea and hepatitis. COGAT, the Israeli military agency responsible for coordinating aid in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, says it operates two water pipelines into the Gaza Strip providing millions of litres of water a day. Palestinian water officials say these have not been working recently. Israel stopped all water and electricity supply to Gaza early in the war but resumed some supply later though the pipeline network in the territory has been badly damaged. Most water and sanitation infrastructure has been destroyed and pumps from the aquifer often rely on electricity from small generators — for which fuel is rarely available. COGAT said the Israeli military has allowed coordination with aid organisations to bring in equipment to maintain water infrastructure throughout the conflict. Moaz Mukhaimar, aged 23 and a university student before the war, said he has to walk about a kilometre, queuing for two hours, to fetch water. He often goes three times a day, dragging it back to the family tent over bumpy ground on a small metal handcart. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'How long will we have to stay like this?' he asked, pulling two larger canisters of very brackish water to use for cleaning and two smaller ones of cleaner water to drink. His mother, Umm Moaz, 53, said the water he collects is needed for the extended family of 20 people living in their small group of tents in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. 'The children keep coming and going and it is hot. They keep wanting to drink. Who knows if tomorrow we will be able to fill up again,' she said. Their struggle for water is replicated across the tiny, crowded territory where nearly everybody is living in temporary shelters or tents without sewage or hygiene facilities and not enough water to drink, cook and wash as disease spreads. The United Nations says the minimum emergency level of water consumption per person is 15 litres a day for drinking, cooking, cleaning and washing. Average daily consumption in Israel is around 247 litres a day according to Israeli rights group B'Tselem. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Bushra Khalidi, humanitarian policy lead for aid agency Oxfam in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories said the average consumption in Gaza now was 3-5 litres a day. Oxfam said last week that preventable and treatable water-borne diseases were 'ripping through Gaza', with reported rates increasing by almost 150% over the past three months. Israel blames Hamas for the suffering in Gaza and says it provides adequate aid for the territory's 2.3 million inhabitants. Queues for water 'Water scarcity is definitely increasing very much each day and people are basically rationing between either they want to use water for drinking or they want to use a lot for hygiene,' said Danish Malik, a global water and sanitation official for the Norwegian Refugee Council. Merely queuing for water and carrying it now accounts for hours each day for many Gazans, often involving jostling with others for a place in the queue. Scuffles have sometimes broken out, Gazans say. Collecting water is often the job of children as their parents seek out food or other necessities. 'The children have lost their childhood and become carriers of plastic containers, running behind water vehicles or going far into remote areas to fill them for their families,' said Munther Salem, water resources head at the Gaza Water and Environment Quality Authority. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With water so hard to get, many people living near the beach wash in the sea. A new water pipeline funded by the United Arab Emirates is planned, to serve 600,000 people in southern Gaza from a desalination plant in Egypt. But it could take several more weeks to be connected. Much more is needed, aid agencies say. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder said the long-term deprivations were becoming deadly. 'Starvation and dehydration are no longer side effects of this conflict. They are very much frontline effects.' Oxfam's Khalidi said a ceasefire and unfettered access for aid agencies was needed to resolve the crisis. 'Otherwise we will see people dying from the most preventable diseases in Gaza — which is already happening before our eyes.' (This is an agency copy. Except for the headline, the copy has not been edited by Firstpost staff.)
