Attacks between the Israeli Army and Hamas intensify, despite the fact that the two parties are in indirect negotiations for a new truce in Gaza. The Islamist group said this Wednesday, February 28, that it fired 40 missiles against northern Israel, from Lebanon, while the attacks by the troops of the Jewish-majority State in the enclave do not stop. The total number of Palestinian fatalities increased to 29,954. Meanwhile, UN agencies denounce that famine in northern Gaza is “imminent” and will be “almost inevitable” throughout the enclave if action is not taken soon. No humanitarian group has been able to enter that area since January 23.
Hamas attacks Israel from Lebanon. The Al-Qassam brigades, the armed wing of the group that controls Gaza, said this Wednesday, February 28, that they launched two volleys of a total of 40 Grad missiles against the north of Israeli territory.
According to the Islamist movement, the attacks hit the headquarters of an Army brigade in the Jewish-majority country and the Beit Hilal airport barracks.
However, the attacks have not been confirmed by the Government of Benjamin Netanyahu.
These assaults can aggravate the exchange of cross-border fire. Since the escalation of the conflict in the Palestinian enclave began more than four months ago, the Lebanese group Hezbollah – which supports Hamas – and Israeli troops have been involved in simultaneous attacks that have left several people dead in the border area.
These are considered the most violent clashes on the border between Israel and Lebanon since the 2006 war.
Meanwhile, the forces of the country led by Netanyahu continue their offensive in Gazan territory, where they assure that they seek to “eliminate” Hamas fighters, but where the majority of fatalities are civilians, including thousands of children.
This Wednesday, The total number of dead people in the besieged coastal strip rose to 29,954 The number of injured is now 70,325, indicated the local Ministry of Health.
UN warns of “almost inevitable” famine in Gaza if action is not taken soon
A quarter of Gaza's population –At least 576,000 people are one step away from famine and practically all of the inhabitants of the enclave urgently need food.. This was highlighted by the coordination director of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Ramesh Rajasingham.
Although the entire population of Gaza faces difficulties in finding food, to the north, where Israel began its offensive by air, sea and land, no humanitarian organization has been able to enter since January 23. But the serious situation can spread to the rest of the enclave.
Rajasingham warned that If action is not taken soon, widespread famine could be “almost inevitable” throughout Gaza.
For his part, Carl Skau, deputy executive director of the World Food Program (WFP), said that “If nothing changes, famine is imminent in northern Gaza”, he warned. “We must all live up to our responsibilities to ensure it does not happen on our watch.”
And on February 20, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) suspended deliveries of food assistance in northern Gaza until conditions allowed safe distribution.
The decision was made in the face of “total chaos and violence,” after a convoy was shot and looted, amidst the hunger and desperation of thousands of people.
The WFP had already temporarily suspended food distribution in the north of that Palestinian territory three weeks earlier, after an Israeli bombing against a UNRWA truck, when it was distributing aid to the population.
“Very little will be possible as long as hostilities continue and there is a risk that they will spread to the overpopulated areas of southern Gaza. We therefore reiterate our call for a ceasefire,” Rajasingham stressed.
One in six children under 2 years of age in northern Gaza suffers from acute malnutrition. And almost all of Gaza's 2.3 million people depend on “woefully inadequate” food aid to survive, Rajasingham told the Security Council on Tuesday, February 27.
Qatar accuses Israel of “deliberately” starving Gazans
The statement was made by Majed Al Ansari, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, one of the countries that together with Egypt and the United States are mediating a truce in Gaza.
“The deliberate starvation of the Palestinian people cannot be tolerated and the international community must oppose this issue. Any aid provided to the Gaza Strip is a very small part of what the residents of the Strip need. There are two and a half million people who live in the total absence of health and emergency services. More than a million people live in tents in the south of the Strip,” the official highlighted.
Likewise, Al Ansari maintained that assistance must be provided freely and without restrictions and that despite his Government's efforts to deliver basic elements for survival, “the challenges of receiving this aid are great and continuous.”
“So far, we have not seen real pressure from the international community to allow full and unconditional aid entry. The State of Qatar, in cooperation with its partners, seeks to stop the aggression before the holy month of Ramadan. It is painful that the entry of humanitarian aid is one of the issues on the table,” the Qatari official stressed.
Israel, which has maintained a blockade of the Gaza Strip for years, and whose restrictions on entering any material into the enclave have become more critical since the current offensive began, defends itself against the accusations.
Through its Defense Forces, The Jewish-majority country noted that its troops have helped in recent days in the distribution of humanitarian assistance.
160 packages of food and medical equipment were airdropped into southern Gaza and the Jordanian field hospital in Khan Yunis. This was part of international cooperation between Israel, the USA, the UAE, Jordan, Egypt and France.
The move was carried out with the International… pic.twitter.com/tEpJKJ8Kex
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 28, 2024
“160 packages of food and medical equipment were airdropped to southern Gaza and the Jordanian field hospital in Khan Yunis. This was part of international cooperation between Israel, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt and France,” the IDF indicated, through its social networks.
These statements come after last Monday, February 26, images from the Qatari television network 'Al Jazeera' showed how thousands of Gazans desperate for water and food were struggling to reach any of the aid packages that planes of the Jordanian Armed Forces they threw into the air.
All as a “last resort” to deliver aid, despite what they denounce as impediments to entering the elements by land.
Many even jumped into the sea in an attempt to rescue some thrown items.
Human rights groups accuse the Israeli military of shooting at civilians and humanitarian aid trucks and severely restricting the amount of aid entering the enclave.
With Reuters, AP and EFE
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