AT LEAST 60 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and a further five have died from malnutrition as Israel intensifies its bombardment of the enclave.
Hospital records reportedly show 27 people were killed whilst seeking aid from collection points since Sunday, with a further 281 injured; the total number of killings at aid sites has now reached an estimated 1965.
A strike in Daraj, a residential neighbourhood in Gaza City, killed three people – including a child.
Al Jazeera reports that in the Gaza health ministry’s daily update, it said a “number of victims remain under the rubble and on the roads, as ambulance and Civil Defence crews are unable to reach them at this time".
As Israel continues its bombardment of the enclave, a Hamas spokesperson told Al Jazeera on Monday that the military group had approved ceasefire proposals laid out by Egypt and Qatar, who have been mediating peace talks.
The death toll has now surpassed 62,000 according to latest figures released by the ministry, with at least 263 Palestinians now dead as a result of forced starvation.
It comes after Amnesty International published new testimonies showing the severity of hunger and malnutrition in the enclave.
In an article published on Monday, the charity said: “Israel is carrying out a deliberate campaign of starvation in the occupied Gaza Strip, systematically destroying the health, well-being and social fabric of Palestinian life.”
The latest testimonies show the rampant spread of disease and hunger is not a by-product of war, but rather an intentional part of Israel’s military operations across Palestine.
“It is the intended outcome of plans and policies that Israel has designed and implemented, over the past 22 months, to deliberately inflict on Palestinians in Gaza conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction – which is part and parcel of Israel’s ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza”, the article reads.
Erika Guevara Rosas, senior director for research, advocacy, policy and campaigns at Amnesty International, said: “While millions around the world continue to take to the streets in protest and world leaders engage in rhetorical posturing, Israel’s deliberate and systematic campaign of starvation continues to inflict unbearable suffering on an entire population.
“Palestinian children are being left to waste away, forcing families into an impossible choice: helplessly hearing the cries of their emaciated children pleading for food, or risking death or injury in a desperate search for aid.”
Last week, Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said he would approve plans for a project titled E1, which would see 3000 homes built in order to connect occupied territories in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
The move would effectively “bury” any plans from Western governments to recognise a Palestinian state, which the UK Government said it would do by late September if Israel does not take “substantive steps” to end the brutality in Gaza.
Between 30-50 ill and injured Palestinian children are now expected to be received into the country within the next few weeks for medical treatment, according to BBC reports.
The move would see children selected for treatment based on priority needs before the World Health Organisation facilitates movement between countries.
A spokesperson for Keir Starmer told the PA News Agency that the UK Government is “working at pace” to deliver medical evacuation plans, though no official dates or figures have been announced.
Meanwhile, the US has suspended all medical visas for Palestinian children after far-right social media commentator Laura Loomer shared videos falsely portraying the children as security risks.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the move, citing concerns over supposed links to Hamas without providing evidence.
Since October 7 2023, 62,004 Palestinians have been killed and 156,230 wounded by the Israeli military.
