Gaza death toll hits 60,000 as global monitor demands action to avert famine

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Gaza faces imminent famine as the death toll surpasses 60,000; urgent international action needed to avert catastrophe amid the ongoing conflict and inadequate aid access

A worst-case scenario of famine is unfolding in Gaza and immediate action is needed to avoid widespread death, a hunger monitor warned on Tuesday, July 29, as the number of Palestinians reported killed in the conflict crossed the 60,000 threshold.

The alert by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) raised the prospect that the man-made starvation crisis could be formally classified as a famine, in the hope that this might raise the pressure on Israel to let in far more food.

Facing mounting international criticism over conditions in Gaza, Israel announced steps over the weekend to ease aid access. But the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday it was not getting the permissions it needed to deliver enough aid since Israel began humanitarian pauses on Sunday.

Evidence of starvation, malnutrition disease

“Mounting evidence shows that widespread starvation, malnutrition, and disease are driving a rise in hunger-related deaths,” the IPC said, adding that “famine thresholds” have been reached for food consumption in most of the Gaza Strip.

It said it would quickly carry out the formal analysis that could allow it to classify Gaza as “in famine”.

For famine to be declared, at least 20% of the population must be suffering extreme food shortages, with one in three children acutely malnourished and two people out of every 10,000 dying daily from starvation or from malnutrition and disease.

Gaza health authorities have been reporting more and more people dying from hunger-related causes. The total stands at 147, among them 88 children, most of whom died in the last few weeks.

Images of emaciated Palestinian children have shocked the world, with Israel’s strongest ally US President Donald Trump declaring that many people were starving. He promised to set up new “food centers”.

The Israeli government has denied pursuing a policy of starvation. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Tuesday that the situation in Gaza was “tough” but there were lies about starvation there.

Deadliest conflict

The death toll of 60,000 announced by Gaza health authorities on Tuesday dwarfs previous wars between Israel and Hamas since the group seized control of Gaza in 2007.

The previous most deadly was in 2014, when 2,100 Palestinians were killed in Gaza, mostly civilians, while Israel lost 67 soldiers and six civilians.

Israel launched the offensive in response to Hamas’ attacks on October 7, 2023, when militants killed some 1,200 people and took another 251 hostage – Israel’s deadliest ever day.

The toll announced by the Palestinian health ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians. Thousands more bodies are believed to be buried under rubble, meaning the death toll is likely to be significantly higher, Palestinian officials and rescue workers say.

Israeli airstrikes overnight killed at least 30 Palestinians in Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, Gaza health authorities said. Doctors at Al-Awda Hospital said at least 14 women and 12 children were among the dead.

The hospital also said that 13 people had been killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire along the Salahudeen Road as they waited for aid trucks to roll into Gaza.

A total of 55 Palestinians were killed in attacks overnight, Gaza health authorities said.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Only half of requests approved

Saar said 5,000 aid trucks had entered Gaza in the last two months, and that Israel would assist those wanting to conduct airdrops — a delivery method that aid groups say is ineffective and tokenistic.

Ross Smith, a senior regional program adviser at the World Food Program, told reporters in Geneva by video: “We’re getting approximately 50% of what we’re requesting into Gaza since these humanitarian pauses started on Sunday.

“We are not going to be able to address the needs of the population unless we can move in the volume that we need.”

After an 11-week Israeli blockade, limited UN-led aid operations resumed on May 19 and a week later the obscure new US-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — backed by Israel and the United States — began distributing food aid.

The rival efforts have sparked a war of words — pitting Israel, the US and the GHF against the UN, international aid groups and dozens of governments from around the world.

Israel and the US accuse Hamas of stealing aid — which the militants deny — and the UN of failing to prevent it. The UN says it has not seen evidence of Hamas diverting much aid. Hamas accuses Israel of causing starvation and using aid as a weapon.

The IPC said 88% of Gaza was now under evacuation orders or within militarized areas, and was critical of GHF efforts.

It said most of the GHF food items “require water and fuel to cook, which are largely unavailable”.

The IPC’s Famine Review Committee said: “Our analysis of the food packages supplied by the GHF shows that their distribution plan would lead to mass starvation.”

GHF said its aid boxes are based on the same ingredient lists used by other aid groups and meet standards for total calories and nutritional value. – Rappler.com