At least 58,667 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023, the Health Ministry said on Thursday.
A ministry statement said that 94 bodies were brought to hospitals in the last 24 hours, while 367 people were injured, taking the number of injuries to 139,974 in the Israeli onslaught.
“Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.
The ministry noted that 26 Palestinians were killed and over 32 injured while trying to get humanitarian aid in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of Palestinians killed while seeking aid to 877, with over 5,666 others wounded since May 27.
In a related development, Israeli strike on Gaza’s only Catholic church killed three people, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said, as Israel said it “never targets” religious sites and regretted any harm to civilians.
Pope Leo XIV said he was “deeply saddened” by the loss of life, which a witness said was the result of a tank shell hitting the church.
AFP footage showed those injured being treated at Gaza City’s Al-Ahli Hospital, with one receiving oxygen and blood while lying under a foil blanket.
The Israeli army resumed its attacks on the Gaza Strip on March 18 and has since killed 7,843 people and injured 27,922 others, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that took hold in January.
“Israel uses starvation as weapon against Gaza”
US lawmaker Rashida Tlaib said that Israel uses starvation as a “weapon of war” in Gaza, calling on her colleagues to stop supporting genocide.
“The Israeli government has deliberately blocked food, medicine and fuel from entering Gaza.
“The entire population of Gaza is experiencing famine, and half a million Palestinians are facing catastrophic levels of starvation,” Tlaib said on the House floor.
Tlaib said at least 66 Palestinian children have already been starved to death.
“Maybe, if my colleagues would close their eyes or pretend that they’re not Palestinians … that they would care that Palestinians have been forced to eat grass … animal feed, while thousands of trucks carrying food sit blocked at the border. “The Israeli government is using starvation as a weapon of war,” she added.
Tlaib further accused Israeli forces of shooting starving Palestinians as they lined up for aid, resulting in 875 killed in six weeks alone, and criticised Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) backed by both Israel and the US.
EU a ‘hypocrite’ over Gaza – MSF
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on Thursday issued a strong condemnation of the European Union, accusing it of failing to take decisive action to halt what the organization describes as “orchestrated ethnic cleansing” in Gaza.
MSF alleged that the EU’s inaction amounts to complicity in the deliberate infliction of widespread human suffering.
In a post on X, the MSF said it had sent an open letter to EU leaders nearly a month earlier, on June 16, urging immediate action to stop the mass atrocities unfolding in the Palestinian enclave.
“The EU can and must act now to stop mass atrocities in Gaza,” it wrote. “Yet, amid EU member states’ inaction, orchestrated ethnic cleansing in Gaza continues.”
According to MSF, more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the conflict, including 12 of its own staff members. The group said the most recent MSF staffer was killed on July 3 while attempting to retrieve a bag of flour.
“The human carnage and starvation of Palestinians in Gaza are deliberate. Humanitarian aid is weaponised and blocked. Healthcare services are targeted daily,” the organization stated.
MSF also condemned the EU Foreign Affairs Council’s latest conclusions, adopted on Tuesday, calling them “yet another sign of the unwillingness to exert pressure on Israel to stop the genocide in Gaza.”
“Once again, the EU demonstrated hypocrisy and shocking double standards when it comes to protecting civilians and ensuring the respect of international humanitarian law,” it said.
Calling on the EU to “turn its words into actions and to end its double standards,” MSF concluded by emphasizing the legal and moral responsibilities of all states to stop the ongoing atrocities in Gaza.
“Every state has a moral and legal responsibility to recognise and stop the ongoing atrocities in Gaza,” it wrote.
The letter was directed at top EU leadership, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
EU foreign ministers met on Monday and Tuesday to discuss growing concerns over Israel’s attacks in Gaza, amid mounting civilian casualties and international calls for accountability.
However, member states were unable to reach a consensus, resulting in no formal decision to suspend the EU-Israel Association Agreement or impose sanctions.
Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a brutal offensive on Gaza since late October 2023, killing nearly 58,600 Palestinians, most of them women and children.
The relentless bombardment has destroyed the enclave and led to food shortages and the spread of diseases.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave. (Daily trust)
