Death and Starvation: Twin Perils Sweep Through Gaza

Over 90 Palestinians, including many from a large family, were killed in Israeli airstrikes on two homes in Gaza, as confirmed by rescue workers, hospital officials, and as a stark reminder of the UN Secretary-General's warning that there is no safe place in Gaza. 

The Israeli attack has created "massive obstacles" in distributing humanitarian aid, as stated by UNRWA, highlighting the inadequacy of aid reaching Gaza, even with the opening of the Kerem Shalom crossing.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned that the risk of death from starvation in Gaza is now a "reality."

UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized that the effectiveness of humanitarian efforts cannot be measured merely by the number of trucks. 

He added that the manner in which Israel is conducting this attack is creating significant barriers to the distribution of humanitarian aid within Gaza. 

UNICEF, through its platform on 'X', called for quick, safe, and unhindered access to humanitarian aid in Gaza, adding, "Children and families in the Gaza Strip are now facing violence from the sky and deprivation on the ground, with the worst possibly yet to come."

Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden had a lengthy and private conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a day after the Biden administration again shielded Israel on the diplomatic stage. 

Biden stated, "I did not request a ceasefire." Netanyahu's office stated that the Prime Minister clarified, "Israel will continue the war until all its objectives are achieved."

The Israeli military also reported that it had arrested hundreds of alleged activists in Gaza over the past week, transferring more than 200 to Israel for further interrogation. 

This provides rare details on a controversial policy of mass arrests of Palestinian men.

The military noted that more than 700 people with alleged connections to Hamas and Islamic Jihad have been sent to Israeli prisons. In contrast, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that 201 people were martyred in the last 24 hours.

Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Gaza Civil Defense Administration, said the airstrikes destroyed two homes, one in Gaza City, killing 76 people from the Al-Morabiti family, making it one of the deadliest attacks in the war.

Among the dead were Issam Al-Morabiti, a veteran employee of the United Nations Development Programme, his wife, and their five children.

Achim Steiner, head of the agency, said, "The United Nations and civilians in Gaza are not targets. This war must end."

An airstrike also destroyed the home of Mohammed Khalifa, a local television journalist, killing him and at least 14 others in the Al-Nusseirat refugee camp in the urban areas, according to officials at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital where the bodies were taken.

The Israeli offensive, one of the most destructive military campaigns in recent history, has led to the displacement of nearly 85% of Gaza's 2.3 million residents and leveled vast areas of the small coastal enclave.