Despite international and regional efforts to press for a cease-fire agreement in the Gaza Strip, fighting between Israel and Palestinian factions has seen a significant escalation, particularly in Gaza City, Khan Younis and Rafah.
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Qatar, the United States and Egypt are continuing mediation efforts in an attempt to broker a ceasefire ahead of the start of Ramadan on March 10 or 11 that would allow the release of prisoners held by the Palestinian Authority. In exchange for Israel releasing its Palestinian prisoners and bringing more humanitarian aid.
At the same time, the square saw a major escalation in military activity, particularly in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood, one of the largest neighborhoods in Gaza City (north), where the Israeli army reported killing two officers and wounding 7 others. Soldiers in the battles that took place there last Tuesday.
Today, Wednesday, February 28, an Israeli military statement indicated that two officers of the Kivadi Brigade were killed and 7 soldiers were wounded following an explosive device detonation in the al-Zaytoun neighborhood southeast of Gaza City. 7 injured persons were seriously injured.
About 30,000 people have been affected
On the other hand, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip said the death toll from Israeli bombing since October 7 had risen to 29,954, most of them women and children, with an additional 70,325 wounded.
Out of this number, 76 martyrs and 110 people were injured in the last 24 hours, according to the ministry's statement.
Hospitals in the Gaza Strip face dire conditions as a result of shortages of electricity and water and severe shortages of medical supplies.
“The situation at Nasser Medical Complex in southern Gaza is very serious,” the health ministry warned.
More than two million people face imminent famine
The death toll from Israeli military operations has added to the many tragedies suffered by all residents of the besieged Gaza Strip, as the war has heightened international concern over the fate of more than two million people (residents of the Gaza Strip). ), most of whom are now trapped and besieged in the town of Rafah on the Egyptian border.
The United Nations has warned of an “explosion” in child deaths in Gaza due to food shortages and disease outbreaks.
The United Nations on Tuesday warned of “large-scale, almost inevitable famine” threatening 2.2 million people.
The United Nations stressed that “large-scale famine is almost inevitable” in Gaza, particularly in the northern Gaza Strip, where famine has become “imminent” due to lack of humanitarian aid.
“If nothing changes, northern Gaza faces imminent famine,” World Food Program deputy executive director Carl Schoe told the UN Security Council. He said that we should be patient and accept our responsibilities so that this does not happen before our eyes.
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For his part, Ramesh Rajasingham, speaking on behalf of United Nations humanitarian coordinator Martin Griffiths, pointed out that an outbreak of famine was “almost inevitable”. “We are at the end of February and 576,000 people in Gaza, a quarter of the population, are one step away from famine,” he said. “One in six children under the age of two in northern Gaza suffer from severe disease. Malnutrition and wasting.” “.
“In practice, almost all Gazans do not rely on adequate humanitarian aid to survive,” he added, calling on the UN Security Council to take action.
The international community is increasingly concerned about the catastrophic consequences of Israel's threatened ground attack on the town of Rafah, south of the Strip, which has become the last refuge for some 1.5 million people, according to the United Nations. .
International organizations have previously warned that the amount of aid entering the besieged area is not meeting the needs of the population.
In an interview with CNN from the town near the border with Egypt, Jan Egeland, head of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said he had “never seen a place under siege in such a long time that has been so heavily bombed.” To this extent without any help.” Any port.
He emphasized that relief organizations are “overwhelmed by this ocean of needs”.
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The non-governmental organization Oxfam warned in a statement, “The people of Gaza are witnessing a real tragedy. They are drinking toilet water, eating wild plants, and eating animal feed.”
According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, 16% of children (under the age of two) in Gaza suffer from severe malnutrition due to lack of food, indicating a lack of basic necessities and food in the Gaza Strip. Large spread of epidemics and diseases.
UNICEF reports that rates of malnutrition among children, pregnant and lactating women are rising sharply, posing a serious threat to their health, warning of the consequences of lack of food or medical care, leading to sudden mass deaths from starvation. .
