Gaza Under Siege: Live Updates on Humanitarian Crisis
The blockade has resulted in a severe shortage of aid supplies, with the UN warning that supplies of food, medicine, and fuel have run out, and the Red Cross warning that its field hospital will be depleted in two weeks, leaving thousands of civilians without access to medical care.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated significantly, with the Red Cross describing it as "hell on earth" due to a weeks-long blockade, resulting in a severe shortage of aid supplies, including food, medicine, and fuel.
The Israeli military's expansion of "security zones" in Gaza to include the southern city of Rafah has been met with criticism from the UN, which warns that two-thirds of Gaza has been designated as "no-go" zones or placed under evacuation orders since Israel resumed its offensive against Hamas in March. The expansion is aimed at pressuring Hamas to release the remaining hostages it is holding, with 59 people still being held, including 24 believed to be alive.
The Israeli military has launched a ground offensive in Rafah, leaving large parts of the city in ruins, and has also seized the Philadelphi Corridor, a strategically important strip of land along the border with Egypt. The UN reports that 390,000 Palestinians have been displaced, almost one-fifth of the 2.1 million population, with no safe place to go. Defence Minister Israel Katz has warned that if Hamas continues to refuse to release the hostages, the IDF will carry out intense military operations across all of Gaza.
The situation in Gaza remains dire, with the Red Cross warning that its field hospital will be depleted in two weeks, and the UN analysis revealing that 36 Israeli air strikes in Gaza resulted in 92 Palestinian civilian casualties, with no fighters identified among the dead. The international community is urged to take immediate action to address the humanitarian crisis and work towards a peaceful resolution to the conflict.