Health officials in Gaza say the death toll from the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas has reached 60,034, as severe hunger deepens an already dire humanitarian crisis in the area.
In an update on Tuesday, the Hamas-run health minister pegged the death toll in Gaza at 60,034 while the number of those injured now stands at 145,870.
The health ministry also noted that more victims are believed to be under rubble or lying in the open, unreachable due to the continued fighting.
According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, a United Nations (UN)-backed assessment, more than one in three people in Gaza are now going days at a time without food.
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The IPC described the situation as the “worst-case scenario of famine” unfolding in Gaza, adding that only immediate action to end hostilities and “unimpeded, large-scale” humanitarian access can stop further deaths and “catastrophic human suffering”.
Last Thursday, a joint statement from BBC News, Agence France-Presse (AFP), Associated Press (AP), and Reuters said journalists in the bombarded enclave are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families.
The food crisis was exacerbated by Israel’s restriction on the entry of essential supplies into Gaza earlier this year to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said he is “working to get things straightened out” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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On Monday, Trump said children in Gaza “look very hungry”.
Israel has denied withholding aid and has, instead, claimed to be facilitating its entrance.
