More than 100 aid groups warn of starvation in Gaza as Israeli strikes kill 29: Officials

More than 100 charity and human rights groups said Wednesday that Israels blockade and ongoing military offensive are pushing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip toward starvation as Israeli strikes killed another 29 people overnight according to local health officialsMeanwhile the Trump administrations Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff was set to meet with a senior Israeli official about ceasefire talks a sign that lowerlevel negotiations that have dragged on for weeks could be approaching a breakthroughExperts say Gaza is at risk of famine because of Israels blockade and the offensive launched in response to Hamas October 7 2023 attack The head of the World Health Organization said Gaza is witnessing a deadly surge in malnutrition and related diseases and that a large proportion of its roughly 2 million people are starvingIsrael says it allows enough aid into the territory and faults delivery efforts by UN agencies which say they are hindered by Israeli restrictions and the breakdown of securityHamas has said it will only release the remaining 50 hostages it holds around 20 of them believed to be alive in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal Israel has vowed to recover all the captives and continue the war until Hamas has been defeated or disarmedChaos starvation and deathIn an open letter 115 organizations including major international aid groups such as Doctors Without Borders Mercy Corps and Save the Children said they were watching their own colleagues as well as the Palestinians they serve waste awayThe letter blamed Israeli restrictions and massacres at aiddistribution points Witnesses health officials and the UN human rights office say Israeli forces have repeatedly fired on crowds seeking aid killing more than 1000 people Israel says its forces have only fired warning shots and that the death toll is exaggeratedThe Israeli governments restrictions delays and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos starvation and death the letter saidWHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus echoed that criticism telling reporters that acute malnutrition centers in Gaza are full of patients and lack adequate supplies He said rates of acute malnutrition exceed 1037 and that among pregnant and breastfeeding women more than 2037 are malnourished often severelyThe UN health agencys representative in the occupied Palestinian territories Dr Rik Peeperkorn said there were more than 30000 children under 5 with acute malnutrition in Gaza and that the WHO had reports that at least 21 children under 5 have died so far this yearIsrael says critics are echoing Hamas propagandaThe Israeli Foreign Ministry rejected the criticism in the open letter and accused the groups of iquestechoing Hamas propagandaiquest It said it has allowed around 4500 aid trucks into Gaza since lifting a complete blockade in May and that more than 700 trucks are waiting to be picked up and distributed by the UNThats an average of around 70 trucks a day the lowest rate of the war and far below the 500 to 600 trucks a day the UN says are needed and which entered during a sixweek ceasefire earlier this yearThe UN says it has struggled to deliver aid inside Gaza because of Israeli military restrictions ongoing fighting and a breakdown of law and order An alternative system established by Israel and an American contractor has been marred by violence and controversyTop adviser to Netanyahu will meet US envoy in RomeWhite House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Witkoff was headed to Europe to meet with key leaders from the Middle East to discuss the latest ceasefire proposal and release of hostagesWe want this ceasefire to happen as soon as possible and we want these hostages to be released Leavitt saidAn official familiar with the negotiations said Ron Dermer a top adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was traveling to Rome to meet Witkoff on Thursday The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive negotiationsThe evolving deal is expected to include a 60day ceasefire in which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in phases in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel Aid supplies would be ramped up and the two sides would hold negotiations on a lasting truceOvernight strikes kill at least 29Israel has continued to carry out waves of daily airstrikes against what it says are militant targets but which often kill women and children Israel blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the militants operate in densely populated areasOne of the overnight strikes hit a house in Gaza City killing at least 12 people according to Shifa Hospital which received the casualties The dead included six children and two women according to Gazas Health Ministry The Israeli military said it struck an Islamic Jihad militant and that the incident was under review because of reports of civilian casualtiesShifa said another strike late Tuesday in Gaza City killed three childrenA strike on an apartment in northern Gaza killed at least six people Among the dead were three children and two women including one who was pregnant the ministry said The military said it struck a Hamas operativeIn central Gaza a strike in a densely populated part of the builtup Nuseirat refugee camp killed eight people and wounded 57 according to Awda Hospital which received the casualtiesHamasled militants abducted 251 people in the October 7 attack and killed around 1200 people mostly civiliansMore than 59000 Palestinians have been killed during the war according to Gazas Health Ministry Its count doesnt distinguish between militants and civilians but the ministry says that more than half of the dead are women and children The UN and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualtiesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for 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