GazaHerald – The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza announced on Sunday that 19 more people were starved to death in the past 24 hours, raising the official toll of hunger-related deaths to 86 since the start of the siege imposed by Israeli forces.
The ministry described the deepening famine as a “silent massacre,” revealing that the majority of those who died, 76 out of 86, are children. “This is not a natural disaster; it’s a deliberate act,” a ministry official said, placing full responsibility on the Israeli occupation and the international community’s failure to intervene.
The ministry called for the immediate and unconditional opening of border crossings to allow life-saving food and medical supplies into the besieged enclave.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also warned that starvation is being used as a weapon of war. “Starving civilians is a war crime,” the UN said in a statement. “Families are facing catastrophic hunger, children are dying before they can access food, and people are being shot while trying to find something to eat.”
The situation has worsened since May 27, when Israel and the United States adopted a controversial aid distribution mechanism that bypasses UN oversight. While billed as a humanitarian solution, the plan has effectively deepened Gaza’s crisis.
Aid convoys are few and often targeted, and crowds of starving people gathering near distribution points have repeatedly come under Israeli fire.
According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, 995 Palestinians have been killed and over 6,000 injured while attempting to reach food deliveries under the Israeli-US mechanism. Another 45 remain missing.
