Gaza toll surpasses 63,000 killed, with 322 people starved to death

At least 51 Palestinians, including children and aid seekers, have been killed since Friday morning in Israeli attacks across Gaza, including several in the al-Mawasi area – a so-called "humanitarian zone" designated by Israel, reports Al Jazeera. 

According to the report, five more Gazans have died "due to famine and malnutrition" in the past 24 hours, including two children, bringing the total number of hunger-related deaths to 322, including 121 children.

With the latest deaths, Israel's war on Gaza has killed 63,025 Palestinians and injured 159,490 since 7 October 2023, the health ministry in Gaza said.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization said on Friday that it has run out of critical medical supplies in Gaza that it needs to treat a surge in cases of a rare paralysis-causing syndrome in the Palestinian enclave, reports Reuters.

The report stated citing the officials, there have been 94 documented cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome in Gaza since June, resulting in 10 deaths, although GBS had rarely been seen in the enclave before the Israel-Hamas war began nearly two years ago. 

GBS is a rare condition that involves a person's immune system attacking the peripheral nerves. Severe cases can result in near-total paralysis and breathing problems, the WHO said.

The fatalities include four children under 15 and six older patients with an average age of 25, the WHO said. Two of the victims had received no treatment, reflecting critical shortages in essential treatment supplies, it added.

Although GBS is usually treatable, the WHO said its treatment efforts were constrained by a lack of certain medical supplies.

Plasmapheresis is the removal, treatment and return or exchange of blood plasma or components thereof from and to the blood circulation, it said.

The surge in GBS has primarily been driven by gastrointestinal and respiratory infections, closely linked to deteriorating water, sanitation and hygiene conditions, it said.

"Given the water sanitation and health situation the conditions are ripe for any infection," WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told reporters in Geneva.

Overcrowding and compromised immunity in the population, compounded by rising malnutrition cases, are also factors, the WHO said.

A report released on Friday by a global hunger monitor, Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, said about 514,000 people - nearly a quarter of Gaza's population - face famine conditions in Gaza City and surrounding areas. 

Though surveillance has improved, diagnostic capacity is limited, and serum samples from suspected GBS cases admitted to hospitals are being sent abroad for testing, the WHO said.

Aid agencies say only a trickle of the aid that is needed, including medicine, is reaching people in Gaza since Israel lifted a blockade on aid in May. Israel says it is allowing in aid but must prevent it being diverted by Palestinian militants whom it blames Hamas for Gazans' suffering.

No Local Tactical Pause

The Israeli military said that starting from Friday, a local humanitarian pause in military activity will not apply to the area of Gaza City, as it "constitutes a dangerous combat zone".

Israel's security cabinet had approved a plan to take control of Gaza City, a move expanding military operations in the shattered Palestinian territory that drew strong criticism at home and abroad over its pursuit of the almost two-year-old war.

Last month, Israel announced a halt in military operations for 10 hours a day in parts of Gaza and new aid corridors as Jordan and the United Arab Emirates airdropped supplies into the enclave.

The Israeli military said on Friday that it "will continue to support humanitarian efforts alongside ongoing maneuvering and offensive operations against terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip in order to protect the state of Israel".

Israel has been facing growing international criticism, which the government rejects, over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and indirect ceasefire talks in Doha between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas have broken off with no deal in sight.