Death toll from starvation in Gaza rises to 115 as Israeli attacks continue
Gaza's Health Ministry said on Thursday that at least 115 Palestinians have starved to death in the enclave since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023. Most of the deaths, which include many children, have been in recent weeks.
Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza in March and has only allowed a trickle of aid into the territory since late May, triggering a dire humanitarian crisis and warnings of mass starvation.
In a statement on Thursday, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) warned that 'families are breaking down' amid the hunger crisis.
'Parents are too hungry to care for their children,' agency head Philippe Lazzarini said in a post on X. 'Those who reach UNRWA clinics don't have the energy, food or means to follow medical advice'.
The UN humanitarian agency, OCHA, added that Israel has been preventing it from verifying aid waiting at distribution centres.
Reporting from Gaza City, Al Jazeera's Hani Mahmoud said the situation was deteriorating, with Palestinians clamouring for any aid they can find.
'Enforced starvation, enforced dehydration, and hunger are gripping the Gaza Strip, with more people reported with malnutrition and a severe, acute shortage of food supplies and other basic necessities,' he said.
'According to what we hear from health sources, people's immune systems are falling apart. They're unable to fight the many diseases that are spreading because their bodies are unable to fight,' he said.
With dire conditions on the ground largely unchanged, international condemnation has continued to grow.
On Thursday, more than 60 members of the European Parliament (MEPs) demanded an emergency meeting to push actions against Israel in a letter sent to European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Lynn Boylan, an Irish member of the European Parliament, accused EU leaders of a double standard when it comes to Palestinian lives.
'Clearly, Palestinian lives are not seen by the elite in the EU as equivalent to, for example, Ukrainian lives,' Boylan told Al Jazeera.
'There's a chilling effect, that if you dare to speak up against Israel, if you dare to call out the war crimes that you're witnessing, there is immediately a backlash and an attack,' she said.
Outrage among European leaders has also soared in recent days, with 28 countries earlier this week condemning the aid blockade, while calling for an immediate end to the fighting.
On Thursday, the United Kingdom's government announced Prime Minister Keir Starmer would hold a call with his German and French counterparts, to 'discuss what we can do urgently to stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need'.
Breakdown in talks
As the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to spiral, negotiations to end the war again broke down, with US envoy Steve Witkoff announcing that his team was leaving negotiations in Qatar early.
That came shortly after Israel announced it was withdrawing its delegation from the talks.
In a statement, Witkoff accused Hamas of showing 'a lack of desire to reach a ceasefire'.
'We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza,' Witkoff said, without elaborating.
Hamas, which has repeatedly accused Israel of blocking a ceasefire agreement, said it was surprised by Witkoff's remarks.
'The movement affirms its keenness to continue negotiations and engage in them in a manner that helps overcome obstacles and leads to a permanent ceasefire agreement,' said Hamas in a statement released late on Thursday.
US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has continued to push for a deal, while simultaneously supporting the displacement of Palestinians from the enclave to nearby countries, in what would potentially constitute ethnic cleansing.
France to recognise Palestine
Late on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced he would officially recognise the State of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
Macron said the decision was 'in keeping with [France's] historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East'.
The move will make France the largest and arguably most influential country in Europe to recognise a Palestinian state.
The move was hailed by the deputy of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who said it showed France's 'commitment to international law and its support for the Palestinian people's rights to self-determination and the establishment of our independent state'.
Israeli officials swiftly condemned the move, with Defence Minister Israel Katz calling it a 'disgrace and a surrender to terrorism'.
'We will not allow the establishment of a Palestinian entity that would harm our security, endanger our existence, and undermine our historical right to the Land of Israel,' he said.
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Al Jazeera
18 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Israeli attacks, forced starvation kill more than 70 Palestinians in Gaza
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'We stress the need for an urgent intervention to pressure the Israeli occupation authorities to allow fuel and repair parts for vehicles to enter,' the Civil Defence said in a statement. While some Western countries have made strongly-worded statements against Israel's policies in Gaza, advocates have been calling for real consequences to ensure accountability and deter further Israeli abuses. Punitive sanctions against Israel have been raised as possibilities. Handala ship intercepted Shortly after making its airdrops announcement, the Israeli military raided a ship by international activists carrying baby formula, food and medical supplies to Gaza. A livestream showed Israeli soldiers boarding and intercepting the Handala vessel with 19 activists onboard. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organised the aid ship, said the vessel was violently seized in international waters. 'The unarmed boat was carrying life-saving supplies when it was boarded by Israeli forces, its passengers abducted, and its cargo seized,' the coalition said in a statement. 'The interception occurred in international waters outside Palestinian territorial waters off Gaza, in violation of international maritime law.' #handala has been intercepted by the israeli occupation forces — Freedom Flotilla Coalition (@GazaFFlotilla) July 26, 2025 It is not clear what will happen to the advocates. Last month, Israel intercepted the Madleen aid ship and towed it to an Israeli boat before detaining the activists, interrogating them and deporting them. Ann Wright, a member of the Freedom Flotilla Steering Committee, called for the protection of the international activists by their home countries. 'Protect innocent international people who are merely accompanying a small amount of aid – medical and food – as a symbol of the international outrage at what Israel is doing,' Wright told Al Jazeera. The Gaza Government Media Office called the interception of Handala a crime of piracy. 'This blatant aggression represents a major violation of international law and the rules of maritime navigation, and it shows once more that the [Israeli] occupation acts like a bully outside the authority of the law,' the office said in a statement.
Qatar Tribune
19 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Israel kills 71 in Gaza as starvation deaths mount
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Qatar Tribune
19 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
16 Gazans shot dead while waiting for aid
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