Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Monday that Israeli attacks killed at least 58 Palestinians and wounded 308 over the previous 24-hour period as US-backed Israeli attacks continue across the Strip.
On top of the violent deaths, the Health Ministry also said that Gaza hospitals recorded 11 Palestinians who starved to death due to the Israeli blockade. “This brings the total number of victims of famine and malnutrition to 300, including 117 children,” the ministry wrote on Telegram.
The Israeli military has kept up its relentless attacks after the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) confirmed that famine was taking place in the Gaza Governorate, which includes Gaza City and nearby towns. The IPC is calling for an immediate ceasefire to address the humanitarian catastrophe, but Israel is planning a major escalation to take over Gaza City.
Israeli attacks on Monday included a double-tap strike on the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, which was caught on video and killed at least 20 Palestinians, including five journalists. Rescue workers were also hit by the second strike that targeted the scene of the initial attack after they had arrived to help the victims.
The massacre at Nasser Hospital occurred as Israel was pressuring Palestinian civilians in Gaza City to flee to the south, but so far there’s been no sign of a mass evacuation since the civilians don’t believe the south will be any safer, and are tired of being displaced. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has reportedly told the head of the IDF that whoever doesn’t leave Gaza City can “die of hunger or surrender.”
Israeli forces have also continued to kill desperate Palestinians seeking food, with the Health Ministry recording the killing of 28 aid seekers. Since the end of May, Israeli forces have killed 2,123 Palestinian aid seekers and wounded 15,615.
The Health Ministry said that its overall violent death toll since October 7, 2023, has reached 62,744 and the number of wounded has climbed to 158,259. Studies have found that the ministry’s numbers are likely a significant undercount.
