What they are witnessing is that we, we’ve almost entered *** new phase of, of this war. Um, that’s at least what it feels like. We’re really at the worst point that we’ve ever been at, um, in, in this humanitarian crisis of over 20 months, and that is not just because of the incessant bombardments and, and the displacements, uh, currently less than. Then 18% of the territory of the Gaza Strip is not under displacement order or not designated as *** military zone, but It’s really um because of, of the combination of hunger and thirst, um, and, and these images that we see coming out of Gaza, um, people having to risk their lives to, to get their hands on, on *** little bit of, of food. Um, everyone that my colleagues come across is, is hungry, um, is thirsty. Uh, the, the water production facilities are operating roughly at, at 150. percent capacity because since electricity was cut off from the Gaza Strip at the beginning of this war, these facilities are completely reliant on fuel to desalinate water, to pump water up, and then also to to distribute it. And fuel is as scarce as, as anything else in in the Gaza Strip today. So we’re looking at this situation of engineering. Years, man-made scarcity that has driven population really into, into panic and into despair. My, my colleague James, um, just, just two weeks ago, um, interviewed children who had gotten injured very badly actually, at, at food distribution sites. But some of these children have, have sadly passed away in, in the meantime because healthcare is also So not really available anymore. Hospitals are just overwhelmed by the constant inflow of of wounded, and there’s *** shortage of of everything medicines, and medical equipment, medical supplies. Um, so that’s why we’re humanitarians, any humanitarian you’ll talk to today will, will tell you um that the situation has, has reached *** new low. We’re really hitting *** rock bottom and key is here that it doesn’t have to be this way. We have supplies ready to, to, to bring in um specialized nutrition supplies, hygiene supplies, nappies for babies, sanitary pads, uh, for, for women and girls, um, but we’re, we’re not authorized to bring all of those supplies in, and we’re also only authorized to bring in limited quantities, very select, uh, supplies. So, so this is what is really exacerbating the crisis.

Advertisement Children among 59 Palestinians in Gaza killed by Israeli airstrikes or shot dead while seeking aid Editorial Standards ⓘ

At least 31 Palestinians were fatally shot on their way to an aid distribution site in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, while Israeli airstrikes killed at least 28 Palestinians, including four children, Palestinian hospital officials and witnesses said.Related video above: UNICEF spokesperson on the dire need for aid in GazaThere were no signs of a breakthrough in ceasefire talks following two days of meetings between U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump had said he was nearing an agreement between Israel and Hamas that would potentially wind down the war.The 31 Palestinians shot dead were on their way to a distribution site run by the Israeli-backed American organization Gaza Humanitarian Foundation near Rafah in southern Gaza, hospital officials and witnesses said.The Red Cross said its field hospital saw its largest influx of dead in more than a year of operation after the shootings, and that the overwhelming majority of the more than 100 people hurt had gunshot wounds.Airstrikes in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah killed 13, including four children, officials at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said. Fifteen others were killed in Khan Younis in the south, according to Nasser Hospital. Israel’s military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Intense airstrikes continued Saturday evening in the area of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza.Israelis rallied yet again for a ceasefire deal. “Arrogance is what brought the disaster upon us,” former hostage Eli Sharabi said of Israeli leaders.Teen’s first attempt to pick up food ends in deathThe 21-month war has left much of Gaza’s population of over 2 million reliant on outside aid, while food security experts warn of famine. Israel blocked and then restricted aid entry after ending the latest ceasefire in March.”All responsive individuals reported they were attempting to access food distribution sites,” the Red Cross said after the shootings near Rafah, noting the “alarming frequency and scale” of such mass casualty incidents.Israel’s military said it fired warning shots toward people it said were behaving suspiciously to prevent them from approaching. It said it was not aware of any casualties. The GHF said no incident occurred near its sites.Abdullah al-Haddad said he was 200 meters (655 feet) from the aid distribution site run by the GHF close to the Shakoush area when an Israeli tank started firing at crowds of Palestinians.”We were together, and they shot us at once,” he said, writhing in pain from a leg wound at Nasser Hospital.Mohammed Jamal al-Sahloo, another witness, said Israel’s military had ordered them to proceed to the site when the shooting started.Sumaya al-Sha’er’s 17-year-old son, Nasir, was killed, hospital officials said.”He said to me, ‘Mom, you don’t have flour and today I’ll go and bring you flour, even if I die, I’ll go and get it,'” she said. “But he never came back home.”Until then, she said, she had prevented the teenager from going to GHF sites because she thought it was too dangerous.Witnesses, health officials and U.N. officials say hundreds have been killed by Israeli fire while heading toward GHF distribution points through military zones off limits to independent media. The military has acknowledged firing warning shots at Palestinians who it says approached its forces in a suspicious manner.The GHF denies there has been violence in or around its sites. But two of its contractors told The Associated Press that their colleagues have fired live ammunition and stun grenades as Palestinians scramble for food, allegations the foundation denied.In a separate effort, the U.N. and aid groups say they struggle to distribute humanitarian aid because of Israeli military restrictions and a breakdown of law and order that has led to widespread looting.The first fuel — 150,000 liters — entered Gaza this week after 130 days, a joint statement by U.N. aid bodies said, calling it a small amount for the “the backbone of survival in Gaza.” Fuel runs hospitals, water systems, transport and more, the statement said.Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people in their Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the war and abducted 251. Hamas still holds some 50 hostages, with at least 20 believed to remain alive.Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 57,800 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry, under Gaza’s Hamas-run government, doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count. The U.N. and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties.A Palestinian-American killed in the West BankFriends and relatives paid their respects a day after Palestinian-American Seifeddin Musalat and local friend Mohammed al-Shalabi were killed in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.Musalat was beaten to death by Israeli settlers on his family’s land, his cousin Diana Halum told reporters. The settlers then blocked paramedics from reaching him, she said.Musalat, born in Florida, was visiting his family home. His family wants the U.S. State Department to investigate his death and hold the settlers accountable. The State Department said it was aware of the reports of his death but had no comment out of respect for the family.A witness, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid Israeli retaliation, said the settlers descended on Palestinian lands and “started shooting at us, beating by sticks and throwing rocks.”Israel’s military has said Palestinians hurled rocks at Israelis in the area earlier on Friday, lightly wounding two people and setting off a larger confrontation.Palestinians and rights groups have long accused the military of ignoring settler violence, which has spiked — along with Palestinian attacks and Israeli military raids — since the war in Gaza began.