UNRWA Urges Ceasefire As Hunger Crisis Grips Gaza


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The UN refugee agency for Palestinians issued a dire warning, calling the situation in northern Gaza "tragic" as aid is denied, leading to a growing death toll ahead of Ramadan.

“Ramadan is approaching. The death toll continues to rise,” the UNRWA said.

The agency emphasized the urgent need for humanitarian access across the Gaza Strip and an immediate ceasefire to save lives.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that famine in northern Gaza has reached dangerous levels, with 25 people dying of hunger and dehydration.

Ahead of the start of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan, the Municipality of Gaza has issued an urgent appeal to international organizations.

“Essential services like water, sanitation, and waste management are severely affected,” the municipality stated.

It called for international aid in supplying fuel and electricity for water wells, as well as providing heavy machinery for infrastructure repair and waste management.

Despite the devastation and the desperate humanitarian situation across the Gaza Strip, there seems to be no let-up in the attacks.

Every inch of the Gaza Strip has been targeted in the past 24 hours. The worst of the recent attacks occurred in the al-Mawasi evacuation zone, where people were ordered by the Israeli military to evacuate to since the initial weeks of the war. This area came under heavy bombardment.

At least 16 people, mostly women, children, and the elderly, who have already suffered from health complications and miserable living conditions, were transferred to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah.

Many expressed frustration that this is happening in a supposedly safe zone, shattering any remaining sense of safety and security for an already traumatized population.

This is reportedly the third time the al-Mawasi zone has come under heavy aerial bombardment.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 31,045 people have been killed and 72,654 wounded in Israeli attacks since October 7. About 72 percent of the victims are children and women.

“In the past 24 hours, the Israeli occupation committed eight massacres against families in the Gaza Strip, resulting in 85 martyrs and 130 injuries,” the ministry reported on its Telegram page. The death toll includes the 25 Palestinians who died from malnutrition and dehydration.