Israeli blockade causing starvation in Gaza: Axios

“Children are starving in Gaza today as a direct result of the Israeli government's decision four months ago to suspend all aid into the enclave,” said Axios, analyzing the humanitarian situation in Gaza in recent months based on data released by the Coordination of Government Activities in the Palestinian Territories, a division of the Israeli army.

The report highlighted the situation in Gaza, where Israel has allowed just a trickle of humanitarian aid to enter since March, over the past five months.

On March 2, the Israeli government announced that it had halted all humanitarian aid and fuel shipments to Gaza and closed all border crossings.

During this period, Israel continued its attacks on Gaza, displacing thousands of Palestinians, and hunger in Gaza rose to unseen levels.

This hunger reportedly hit women and children especially hard, but the Israeli government has rejected international calls to end the blockade and let international aid groups in.

People seeking aid killed

The US- and Israeli-led Gaza Humanitarian Relief Foundation, a controversial group founded in May, bases its operations in southern and central Gaza, making it virtually impossible to deliver aid to the north.

“More than 750 people (have) been killed while trying to make their way to the aid sites, according to the UN — reportedly by Israeli troops in several instances,” said Axios.

Other monitors have put the number killed at over 1,000, causing many observers to call the group a “death trap” in disguise.

In addition, Gaza residents are also reportedly forced to walk for hours to reach aid distribution centers.

Physically weaker individuals – sick people, women, and children – are particularly struggling to access humanitarian aid, and hunger has shot up significantly in recent weeks.

Speaking to Axios, a spokesperson for the controversial group said that it was "never meant to feed the people of Gaza alone" and that it had "actively pressed" the Israeli government to create more aid locations, particularly in the north.

According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, at least 147 people, including 88 children, have died of starvation since Israel launched its relentless offensive in October 2023.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has killed more than 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, in Gaza since October. The unrelenting bombardment has devastated the enclave and triggered a deepening hunger crisis.

On Monday, Israeli rights groups B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, citing the systematic destruction of Palestinian society and the deliberate dismantling of its healthcare system.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.