More than 34 Palestinians, including 17 people seeking humanitarian aid, were killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza on Monday, according to local authorities. The escalating violence has prompted international aid agencies to call for an immediate ceasefire, warning that the enclave is on the brink of an irreversible humanitarian collapse.
“Without an immediate cessation of hostilities, Gaza is spiralling into a humanitarian catastrophe,” aid agencies told Al Jazeera, News.Az reports.
Despite Israel slightly easing restrictions on July 27, only an average of 84 aid trucks per day have been allowed into Gaza. Humanitarian organizations stress that at least 600 trucks per day are needed to meet the basic needs of Gaza's population.
According to officials in Gaza, over 22,000 aid trucks remain backed up at the border, unable to deliver desperately needed food, medicine, and water.
In a new statement, Hamas said it would allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to deliver aid to Israeli captives being held in Gaza — but only if Israel agrees to open humanitarian corridors for the general population.
Since the war began, at least 60,839 people in Gaza have been killed and 149,588 wounded, according to health authorities in the territory.
The conflict was triggered by the October 7, 2023 attacks in which 1,139 people were killed in Israel and more than 200 people were taken hostage.
