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70,000 civilians in northern Gaza are at risk of starvation and deadly thirst

November 19, 2024 at 9:01 am

Palestinians, including children, wait to receive food distributed by an aid organisation in, Gaza on November 18, 2024 [Hassan Jedi/Anadolu Agency]

Palestinian Civil Defence sources in the Gaza Strip have reported that 70,000 civilians in the northern Gaza Strip are at risk of starvation and deadly thirst if they survive the intense Israeli attacks, amid an intensified siege that has been ongoing for over a month.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) confirmed that more than 65,000 Palestinians are suffering inhumane conditions in the northern Gaza Strip due to the continued Israeli bombardment and deprivation of basic necessities for living. The statement referred to the “the scale of death, destruction and deprivation”, stressing that “civilians must be able to receive the humanitarian assistance they need, wherever they are. All of this is required by international humanitarian law.”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) also announced that it had failed in three attempts to deploy an international medical team to Kamal Adwan and Al-Awda Hospitals in the northern Gaza Governorate, after the Israeli occupation regime denied their entry. The WHO plans to send new missions in the coming days to deliver vital medical supplies and transport 10,000 litres of fuel.

Meanwhile, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has sent medical supplies to treat acute malnutrition, while the World Food Programme has transported 200 metric tonnes of food to help affected populations in the north and south of the Gaza Strip.

READ: Israel Finance Minister calls for full occupation of northern Gaza