At least 41 people were killed in Gaza on Monday by Israeli forces, including 20 reportedly shot while trying to access food aid, as hunger and famine continue to tighten their grip on the besieged strip.
Hospitals across Gaza confirmed six more deaths from starvation, raising the toll to 181. Among the dead are 94 children. According to the UN World Food Programme, every child under five in Gaza is now at risk of malnutrition. Despite this, over 22,000 aid trucks remain stuck at Gaza’s borders, with only limited access being allowed by Israeli authorities.
The worsening hunger crisis has become the latest point of contention between Israel and Hamas, as each accuses the other of weaponising starvation. The dispute grew after Hamas and Islamic Jihad released videos of visibly emaciated hostages. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu compared the scenes to Nazi-era atrocities, claiming Hamas is deliberately starving the captives.
In response, Hamas stated that the hostages receive the same food rations as its fighters and blamed the Israeli blockade and destruction of Gaza’s food systems for the humanitarian collapse.
While Netanyahu said the videos prove Hamas is not serious about a deal, they have intensified domestic calls for a ceasefire. Families of the hostages, fearing their relatives could die of starvation, joined tens of thousands in Tel Aviv on Saturday night to demand an end to the war.
Talks are now underway for the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent to deliver food to hostages. Hamas’s military wing signalled conditional support for the idea—provided humanitarian corridors are opened for regular aid deliveries to Palestinians.
Meanwhile, the Palestine Red Crescent Society reported the death of one of its staff members following an Israeli strike on its Gaza headquarters.
Pakistan has sent its 17th shipment of relief supplies to Gaza and issued a strong condemnation of recent Israeli actions at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, describing the mass entry of settlers and Israeli officials under military protection as a “provocative and deeply offensive desecration.”
Irish President Michael D. Higgins also added his voice to growing international concern, urging UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to bypass the Security Council stalemate and use Chapter Seven powers to ensure aid reaches civilians. In a video message, he called the situation in Gaza “the incredible, incredible destruction of an entire people.”
Since October 2023, Israel’s military campaign has killed over 60,000 people in Gaza, the majority of them women and children.