As Israeli airstrikes continue, war-torn Gaza faces a worsening crisis of hunger, displacement, and global inaction.
Hospital sources in Gaza reported that 72 Palestinians were killed across various areas of the Gaza Strip since dawn on Thursday, including seven people near aid distribution points. The rising death toll comes amid growing international concern over the worsening humanitarian catastrophe caused by the ongoing Israeli assault and blockade.
A medical official at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah confirmed the arrival of 17 bodies, including those of children, following an Israeli drone strike on the city’s central market.
According to the Palestinian Information Center, Israeli forces conducted extensive bombardments targeting residential buildings in eastern Gaza City. The center also reported that three booby-trapped robots were detonated by Israeli troops near Masoud Street, east of Jabalia al-Balad in northern Gaza.
Four-month-old Hani Ziyara lost his leg after an Israeli airstrike hit a home in Al-Tuffah, east of Gaza City. pic.twitter.com/y5EwKNsDrJ
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) June 27, 2025
In Khan Yunis, mourners buried seven people killed when Israeli warplanes struck tents sheltering displaced families in the Al-Mawasi area, west of the city.
Elsewhere in Gaza City, Israeli airstrikes hit several homes in the Abu Iskandar area of the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood.
Malnutrition Crisis Deepens
In a separate development, medical sources at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City confirmed the death of infant Ahmed Taleb due to malnutrition and dehydration. According to the Government Media Office in Gaza, this brings the number of children who have died from malnutrition to 61.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza has warned that 70,000 children are now suffering from health conditions linked to malnutrition. Israeli authorities have reportedly barred the entry of baby formula into the Strip for the past four months.
UNICEF reported a 50% increase in the number of children admitted for treatment for severe malnutrition in May compared to April.
Oxfam’s media and communications officer in Gaza, Ghada Al-Haddad, described the humanitarian situation as “catastrophic, deteriorating, and beyond description.” Speaking to Al-Jazeera, she said Israel is using starvation as a method of warfare and deliberately targeting vital infrastructure, including water facilities.
“I swear I was going to get you milk today, my love”
A five-month-old and a 10-day-old Palestinian baby tragically died from malnutrition in Gaza amid Israel’s ongoing blockade of humanitarian aid.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, 580 premature babies across the… pic.twitter.com/zHSUiTDpD1
— TRT World (@trtworld) June 27, 2025
UNRWA Warns of Collapse
Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), warned that the occupied Palestinian territory is at a critical juncture. He said Palestinian refugees are facing deep uncertainty as UNRWA, their lifeline for generations, is being dismantled.
Lazzarini accused the international community of allowing a decades-long campaign to separate Palestinians from their homeland to come to a head.
He described the current aid distribution system in Gaza as disastrous, dehumanizing, and expensive—an outcome of over 20 months of global inaction and impunity that has resulted in the deaths of 55,000 people, mostly women and children.
He also pointed to the worsening impact of Israeli military operations in the occupied West Bank, where annexation and displacement continue unabated.
Calls for Accountability
Amjad Shawa, head of the Palestinian NGO Network in Gaza, called for urgent international action to stop the targeting of civilians waiting for food aid. In an interview with Al-Jazeera, he described the escalation as dangerous and unsustainable.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reiterated her call for immediate and unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza during the European Union summit in Brussels. She also called for a permanent ceasefire and the release of all captives.
However, the EU summit’s final communiqué postponed any decision on sanctions against Israel until the meeting of EU foreign ministers scheduled for mid-July. While the statement condemned Israeli military operations, settler violence, and illegal settlement expansion, it stopped short of immediate punitive measures.
The EU also called for a full lifting of the blockade on Gaza and demanded unconditional humanitarian access. While condemning the humanitarian catastrophe—including famine and mass civilian casualties—the bloc also placed blame on Hamas for refusing to release remaining captives, and called for expanded sanctions targeting the group.
(PC, AJA)
