By Elham Asaad Buaras
London (The Muslim News): At least 59,029 Palestinians — the majority women and children — have been killed in Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023, Gaza’s Health Ministry reported on Monday. The relentless bombardment and total siege have also left 142,135 people injured, with medics warning the death toll is likely much higher due to victims trapped under rubble and inaccessible areas.
The humanitarian situation has sharply deteriorated, with at least 18 Palestinians dying of starvation in the last 24 hours alone. The convergence of famine, destruction, and mass displacement is pushing Gaza’s 2.3 million residents beyond the brink.
“A SADISTIC DEATH TRAP”: UN SLAMS COLLAPSE OF AID NORMS
UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, issued a damning statement on Monday, describing food distribution in Gaza as a “sadistic death trap.” He condemned the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which he accused of operating aid convoys “like mercenaries. ”Snipers open fire randomly on crowds as if they are given a license to kill,” Lazzarini said. “A massive hunt of people, in total impunity.”
According to UNRWA, more than 1,000 starving civilians have been killed while attempting to access food since the end of May. Lazzarini added that even doctors, nurses, journalists, and aid workers are now among the starving.
WHO STAFF DETAINED, RESIDENCE SHELLED
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that its staff residence in Deir al-Balah was attacked three times on Monday, alongside its central warehouse. WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said Israeli forces entered the premises, forced women and children to evacuate amid active conflict, and handcuffed, stripped, and interrogated male staff and their relatives.
Two WHO staff members and two relatives were detained. One remains in Israeli custody. A total of 32 WHO staff and family members were later evacuated to safety.
A DAY OF BLOODSHED: 42 KILLED IN LATEST STRIKES
Israeli air and drone strikes killed at least 42 Palestinians across Gaza on Monday, according to medical sources, as bombardment intensified in both the north and south of the besieged enclave.
In Khan Younis, a drone strike targeted a displacement tent in al-Mawasi, killing seven people, including a child. Later, in the al-Qadisiyah area west of the city, another strike on a displacement tent claimed two more lives.
In Deir al-Balah, at least five Palestinians were killed in a series of strikes. Among them was a woman killed by an Israeli drone in her own home. A nearby kindergarten was also hit, leaving one child injured.
In central Gaza, five bodies were transferred to Shifa Hospital after Israeli shelling struck a crowd waiting for aid near the Netzarim Corridor.
Meanwhile, in Jabalia in the north, Israeli drone strikes killed five more civilians and wounded several others near the al-Nazla Roundabout.
Gaza City faced multiple bombardments throughout the day. Airstrikes struck a desalination plant, residential buildings, and another displacement tent, killing 14 people and injuring many others.
In Rafah, a Palestinian journalist was killed during an Israeli raid targeting Dr Marwan Al-Hams, the head of field hospitals in Gaza.
Elsewhere, Israeli drones killed one civilian in Nuseirat and another in Wadi Gaza, both located in the central Gaza Strip.
STARVATION DEEPENS: “A QUARTER FACING FAMINE”
The World Food Programme (WFP) warned Monday that Gaza faces “astonishing levels of hunger,” with a quarter of the population enduring famine-like conditions.
Ross Smith, WFP’s Director of Emergency Preparedness, said one-third of the population is going multiple days without food and that markets are non-functional. He added, “Almost 100,000 women and children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition and require urgent treatment.”
Despite needing over 100 aid trucks a day, only 10% of that amount has entered Gaza since mid-May, Smith noted.
SECRET ISRAELI PRISON HOLDS DETAINEES IN HARSH, ISOLATED CONDITIONS
Israel’s public broadcaster KAN has revealed details of a secret underground prison wing known as “Rakevet” at Ayalon Prison in Ramla, where dozens of detainees — alleged members of Hamas and Hezbollah — are being held under extreme conditions.
The heavily fortified wing, reportedly in operation since last year, includes advanced surveillance and tight security protocols. According to KAN, the detainees are suspected of involvement in the October 7 attacks and include individuals Israel claims are from Hamas’s elite forces and Hezbollah’s Radwan Force.
However, none of the detainees have been publicly tried or convicted, and these claims have not been independently verified.
KAN reported that prisoners are confined in sealed cells for 23 hours a day, with just one hour allowed in a small concrete yard where they are not permitted to speak to one another. The walls of the yard reportedly display large images of destruction in Gaza, visible to the detainees.
Guards reportedly do not wear name tags, using only numbered badges to remain anonymous — an apparent measure to prevent identification and potential reprisals.
MOUNTING INTERNATIONAL LEGAL PRESSURE
In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), further isolating it internationally amid mounting evidence of systematic violations.
[Photo: Thousands of displaced Palestinians who had taken shelter in the building evacuate shortly before the Israeli warplanes targeted the Mehran building located in the Al-Nasr neighborhood in central Gaza, in Gaza City, Gaza on July 21, 2025. Smoke billowed from the area during the attack and the school was heavily destroyed after the attack.
Photojournalist: Saeed M. M. T. Jaras/AA]
