At least 60,000 children malnourished in Gaza as Israeli aid blockade continues

Summary:

• UN chief Antonio Guterres says Gaza has become "a killing field" as Israeli forces continue bombarding the enclave, killing at least 26 Palestinians on Tuesday.
• Doctors Without Borders (MSF) says an Israeli attack hit close to its clinic in the so-called safe zone of al-Mawasi in Gaza, while new footage shows Israeli forces bombed a charity kitchen in Khan Younis on Monday.
• US forces continue bombing Yemen, killing at least six people in Hodeidah, as Israeli forces launch air raids on Lebanon's Baalbek and Bekaa Valley.
• Gaza's Health Ministry says at least 50,800 Palestinians are confirmed dead and 115,600 wounded in Israel's war on Gaza. The Government Media Office updated its death toll to more than 61,700, saying thousands of people missing under the rubble are presumed dead.
• At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks and more than 200 were taken captive.

7:21pm - UNB

At least 60,000 children malnourished in Gaza 

Gaza's Ministry of Health says at least 60,000 children are now "at risk of serious health complications due to malnutrition" as Israel maintains a blockade on humanitarian aid, cutting off essential food and medical supplies since March 2.

The warning came on Wednesday, a day after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres rejected a new Israeli proposal for overseeing aid deliveries, stating it would risk "further controlling and callously limiting aid down to the last calorie and grain of flour."

According to the Health Ministry, the lack of proper food and clean water is worsening health conditions, and the continuing ban on child vaccinations — including for polio — is deepening the crisis. With border crossings sealed, aid agencies have been unable to bring in life-saving supplies for over a month.

The UN reports that 21 nutrition centres in Gaza have been forced to shut down, disrupting care for roughly 350 children already suffering from severe malnutrition. The World Food Programme (WFP) previously warned that intensified Israeli military operations have severely disrupted food aid efforts, putting hundreds of thousands at risk of hunger and malnutrition.

"WFP and partners from the food security sector have been unable to bring new food supplies into Gaza for more than three weeks," the agency said, adding that current stockpiles would only last up to two weeks.

For over 18 months, Israel has repeatedly used food and humanitarian aid as a form of pressure on the Palestinian population during its military campaign, which the Health Ministry says has killed more than 50,000 people.

5:50pm - Reuters

Israeli strike kills 29 people in Gaza City house, medics say

An Israeli airstrike killed at least 29 Palestinians, including children, in a house in Shejaia in Gaza City, local health authorities said on Wednesday.

Medics said dozens of others were wounded in the attack that hit a multi-floor residential building in the eastern suburb of Gaza City. Many were still believed to be missing and trapped under the ruins of the building. The strike damaged several other houses nearby, medics said.

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The Israeli military said in a statement it struck a senior Hamas militant responsible for planning and executing attacks from Shejaia in northern Gaza, whom it did not identify. The military said several steps were taken before the attack to mitigate harm to civilians.

Local health authorities said nine other Palestinians were killed in separate Israeli military strikes in other parts of the enclave, raising Wednesday's death toll to 38.

Last week, the military ordered Shejaia residents to evacuate, saying forces intended to operate against militants in the area.

Israel resumed its bombardment of Gaza on March 18 after a two-month truce and sent troops back into the enclave. In the three weeks since, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says Israeli military strikes have killed nearly 1,500 Palestinians.

10:15am - Al Jazeera

US families accuse Palestinian-American billionaire of facilitating Hamas attacks

Bashar Masri, a Palestine-American billionaire has been accused of providing assistance in constructing infrastructure for Hamas.

The suit involves nearly 200 Americans, and includes survivors and relatives of victims of the October 7 attacks on Israel.

The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for Washington, DC, is thought to be the first case of a US citizen being accused of providing major support for the attacks.

In a statement, the plaintiffs said properties that the Palestinian-American owned, developed and controlled "concealed tunnels underneath them, and had tunnel entrances accessible from within the properties, which Hamas used in terrorist operations before, on and after October 7th".

"Defendants facilitated the construction and concealment of those tunnels and even built above-ground solar panel installations that they then used to supply Hamas with electricity to the tunnels," it said.

Masri's office called the lawsuit "baseless".

It said Masri would seek their dismissal in court, that he had been involved in development and humanitarian work for the past decades and "unequivocally opposes violence of any kind".

"Neither he nor those entities have ever engaged in unlawful activity or provided support for violence and militancy," it added.

9:30am - Al Jazeera

Indonesia ready to evacuate Palestinians wounded in Gaza

Indonesia has offered to temporarily shelter Palestinians affected by the war in Gaza.

The offer was given by Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto as a comment as he started a trip to Turkiye, Egypt and Qatar.

Prabowo said he has instructed his foreign minister to quickly discuss with the Palestinian side and other parties about how to evacuate impacted Palestinians to Indonesia, a Muslim-majority country.

"We are ready to evacuate the wounded, the traumatised, the orphans," Prabowo said, adding that the victims would be in Indonesia temporarily until they have fully recovered from their injuries and the situation in Gaza was safe for their return.

"Indonesia's commitment in supporting the safety of Palestinians and their independence has pushed our government to act more actively," he added.

Indonesia advocates for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestine conflict and has sent humanitarian aid. Prabowo's comments come two months after Indonesia's Foreign Ministry responded to US President Donald Trump's plan to permanently move Palestinians out of Gaza by issuing a statement strongly rejecting any attempts to forcibly displace the enclave's residents.

9:15am - Al Jazeera

Israeli attack on food kitchen

Video has emerged of an Israeli attack on Palestinians waiting for food at a charity kitchen in southern Gaza.

At least six people were killed in the strike in Khan Younis on Monday.

The video shows severely injured people knocked to the ground by the attack on the makeshift kitchen.

9:00am - Al Jazeera

Israeli predawn attacks target Nuseirat refugee camp, Khan Younis area

Israeli military aircraft have bombed the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

Strikes have also hit the Al-Amal neighbourhood west of Khan Younis in the south of the territory. Intense Israeli artillery shelling has also been reported east of Gaza City.

There were no initial reports of casualties.

We reported a little earlier that two elderly people were killed in attacks on the tent shelters of displaced people in Khan Younis, and several others were injured.

We will bring you more on Israel's predawn attacks on Gaza as more information is known.

8:30am - Al Jazeera

Israel cuts off 70% of Gaza's water supply: official

The Israeli military has halted the flow of water from Israeli company Mekorot to the Gaza Strip, effectively cutting off 70 percent of the Palestinian enclave's total water supply.

Hosni Mehanna, a spokesman for Gaza municipality, said the disconnection affects the main pipeline located in the Shujayea neighbourhood in eastern Gaza City, where Israeli forces have been conducting a military assault since Thursday.

"The reasons behind the interruption remain unclear, but we are coordinating with international organizations to inspect whether the pipeline was damaged due to the heavy Israeli bombardment in the area," Mehanna said.

"Regardless of the cause, the consequences are dire. If the flow of water from Mekorot is not restored soon, Gaza will face a full-blown water crisis."

8:15am - Al Jazeera

Doctor recounts deadly Israeli attack near MSF clinic

We have more on the Israeli assault on the so-called "safe zone" in al-Mawasi that killed at least two people, including a two-year-old child.

The attack happened 300 metres away from a clinic run by Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym, MSF.

The emergency doctor there, Mohammed Shaath, has issued a statement on what he witnessed.

"There were a lot of bombs," he said.

"The injured started to arrive… First received seven injuries. Two of them were in life-threatening conditions. We dealt with them immediately. We transferred them with the ambulances.

"We received two cases. Two of them were dead. The first case was a two-year-old child. The second case was a young man in his thirties.

"The situation was very bad.

"There was a state of anxiety for everyone present. The bombing was so close to us. The sound was very loud. The shrapnel were visible. Flying all around… The smoke. The smell. Honestly, I can't describe the scene. The injuries. Most of them were not easy. Between the stomach. The head. The chest.

"The team is now starting to realize what has just happened. They are in a state of shock… There were only a few metres [300] between us and the bombing."

7:45am - Al Jazeera

Israeli forces raid occupied West Bank towns, blow up Palestinian home in Hebron

Local Palestinian media outlets report that Israeli forces have carried out raids across the occupied West Bank overnight and into the early hours of this morning, including:

Homes were raided in Halhul town, located north of Hebron, and the Wadi Abu Katila area northwest of Hebron. Yatta city to the south of Hebron was also stormed by troops.

Israeli soldiers destroyed the home of Palestinian prisoner Zaid al-Junaidi in Hebron late on Wednesday night by placing explosives inside his house and blowing it up. According to the Wafa news agency, Israel forces brought al-Junaidi with them during the operation and beat him up as they blew up his house.

Israeli troops stormed the Shuweika suburb in the Tulkarem governorate.

Raids were carried out on Deir Ibzi town, west of Ramallah, and in Ramallah city. Wafa reports that two Palestinian youths were injured by Israeli gunfire in the village of Shuqba, west of Ramallah.

Palestinian homes were searched in the Balata refugee camp and the Dahieh neighbourhood, east of Nablus, as well as the town of Awarta to the south.

Israeli forces also raided Qabatiya town, south of Jenin, and stormed part of Qalqilya city.

7:15am - Al Jazeera

Video shows Israeli attack on Gaza charity kitchen

The footage, verified by Al Jazeera, shows the aftermath of an Israeli attack on a charity kitchen in Khan Younis where people had gathered to receive food.

The attack, which took place at about noon on Monday, killed at least six people and wounded 10 others.

The footage shows several people on the ground next to the makeshift kitchen, including a young girl who appears to have a severe head injury.

At least 10 other people were injured in the attack.

The victims included Samah Abu Jamie's nephew. She said her young daughter was also wounded.

"They were going to get food. I told her, 'Daughter, don't go'," she said. "These were children, and they had nothing with them but a pot. Is a pot a weapon?"

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.