By Nadine Osman
London, (The Muslim News): The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to deepen as residents face relentless military strikes, starvation, and disease. In the past 24 hours alone, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that 61 bodies were brought to hospitals, alongside 308 injuries, bringing the total number of injured since October 2023 to 157,673.
“Many victims are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” the ministry warned on Saturday.
The death toll from Israel’s ongoing assault has now surpassed 62,600. In addition to those killed by direct attacks, eight more Palestinians—including two children—died from malnutrition caused by the Israeli blockade in the past 24 hours, raising the total famine-related deaths to 281. Munir al-Bursh, director general of Gaza’s Health Ministry, highlighted on X that 114 of the victims were children. “The famine is silently ravaging the bodies of civilians, depriving children of their right to life, and turning tents and hospitals into daily scenes of tragedy,” he said.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) described Gaza City as experiencing “starvation, disease and death” amid Israel’s ongoing offensive.
On Saturday, at least 28 Palestinians were killed in attacks across the Strip. In Jabalia al-Nazla, northern Gaza, an artillery strike killed three, including two children. Shelling in Asdaa, Khan Younis, killed 16—including six children and an infant—while drone strikes in Maghazi refugee camp claimed two more lives. Two Palestinians were also shot dead by Israeli forces while waiting for aid near distribution points in Morag and the Netzarim corridor.
Since May 27, Israel has enforced a unilateral aid delivery system via the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, rejected by the UN and major relief organisations. Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that this mechanism has caused 2,060 deaths and over 15,197 injuries among those waiting for aid, prompting critics to label the distribution points “death traps.”
Strikes continue unabated in central and northern Gaza. Drone attacks on homes in Maghazi and Nuseirat refugee camps caused multiple casualties, while Israeli bombardment in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighbourhood has accompanied widespread demolitions as part of Israel’s reoccupation plan.
The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate confirmed that journalist Khaled al-Madhoun was killed near the Zikim crossing while documenting humanitarian aid arrivals. Since the war began, around 270 journalists and media workers have been killed—roughly 13 per month.
The humanitarian toll remains catastrophic. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said over 15,600 people in Gaza, including 3,800 children, urgently need medical evacuation for specialised treatment. He renewed calls for a ceasefire to allow life-saving aid into the territory. Philippe Lazzarini, head of UNRWA, urged Israel to acknowledge the famine it has caused and called on influential states to act immediately, stressing, “Every hour counts.” The UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification confirmed famine in Gaza governorate, expected to spread further by the end of September.
In the West Bank, Israeli forces continued raids in Al Mughayyir, storming homes, arresting residents, and bulldozing farmland to make way for a new settler road. Dozens of homes were ransacked, possessions seized, and residents barred from returning.
Meanwhile, Israel is investigating a ballistic missile launched by Yemen’s Houthis, examining whether it carried separable warheads. Interceptors were deployed after fragments fell over Tel Aviv, amid reports that Iran may have supplied the technology to the Houthis.
Gaza remains on the brink of further catastrophe, with relentless military attacks, famine, and disease threatening millions and drawing intensified international scrutiny.
[Photo: Palestinian women pick up food fragments scattered on the ground as Palestinians collect aid packages dropped by parachutes from military cargo planes while attempts to airdrop humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, which is under Israeli attack and embargo, continue in Deir al-Balah, Gaza on August 24, 2025. Photojournalist: Mohammed Nassar/AA]