Gaza Starvation Worsens, 1,054 Killed at Aid Hubs, Access Denied
Amman: United Nations humanitarians today raised alarms over worsening conditions in Gaza, where people, including doctors, nurses, journalists, and the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) staff, have been fainting from hunger and exhaustion over the past 48 hours, heightening fears for the survival of the enclave’s population.
Juliette Touma, UNRWA’s Director of Communications, speaking from Amman, warned that seeking food has become as deadly as ongoing bombardments, with desperation driving residents to risk their lives for basic necessities.
The UN human rights office reported that 1,054 Palestinians have been killed in recent weeks while attempting to access food, with 766 deaths linked to aid hubs operated by the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which began functioning on May 27, 2025, bypassing established UN and NGO systems. Touma described the foundation’s distribution scheme as a sadistic death trap, alleging snipers fire randomly on crowds, a view echoed by UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini, who called it a massive hunt of people in total impunity. Lazzarini emphasised that humanitarian assistance should not be managed by mercenaries, asserting that UN agencies, with proven expertise from past ceasefires, are equipped to deliver safe and dignified aid.
Living conditions in Gaza have plummeted, with basic commodity prices surging by 4,000 per cent, leaving displaced residents without income or essentials. Touma shared an account of a colleague who paid nearly $200 for a bag of lentils and flour after hours of searching.
The UN World Food Programme reported on July 21, 2025, that a quarter of Gaza’s population faces famine-like conditions, with nearly 100,000 women and children suffering from severe acute malnutrition requiring urgent treatment. Everyday items like diapers, costing $3 each, are scarce, forcing mothers to use plastic bags and one father to cut his shirt for sanitary pads. UNRWA has 6,000 trucks loaded with food, medicines, and hygiene supplies waiting in Egypt and Jordan, unable to enter due to access restrictions. Touma reiterated calls for a ceasefire, hostage release, and a steady flow of UN-managed humanitarian supplies to address the crisis.
Humanitarian operations face growing constraints, with the World Health Organization reporting three attacks on July 21, 2025, on a building housing its staff in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza, alongside mistreatment of those sheltering there and the destruction of its main warehouse. WHO spokesperson Tarik Jašarević described how Israeli forces entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot to Al Mawasi amid active conflict. Staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated at gunpoint, and screened. Two WHO staff and two family members were detained, with one still held without charges, prompting Jašarević to demand their release and due process.
The Israeli military’s operation in Deir Al-Balah, the first in the area since October 2023, included an explosion and fire in WHO’s warehouse, part of what Jašarević called a systematic destruction of health facilities. Gaza’s health authorities report that 1,500 health workers have been killed since October 2023, with 94 per cent of health facilities damaged and half non-functional, further crippling efforts to sustain the collapsing health system.
Additional challenges include Israel’s denial of visas to 58 international emergency medical team members, including surgeons, since the ceasefire breakdown on March 18, 2025. UNRWA’s Commissioner-General has been barred from Gaza since March 2024 and denied visas to the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, for over a year. Touma also highlighted the lack of international media access to Gaza, urging entry to report firsthand on the ongoing horrors. The UN continues to call for global action to lift restrictions and restore aid delivery, warning that the chance to prevent further loss of life and reverse damage to Gaza’s health system is slipping away daily.
– global bihari bureau
