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Gaza famine risk grows as Israeli attacks kill four Palestinians — AI-generated representative image: An empty market in Gaza amid severe food shortages and aid restrictions.

Editorial Team

Rights group warns of renewed Gaza famine as border restrictions and aid shortfalls deepen the humanitarian crisis

Israeli attacks across Gaza have killed four Palestinians, including a child, in the past 24 hours as the Israeli military continues to expand its control inside the territory. The deaths occurred on Thursday and come amid warnings from a Geneva-based rights group that Gaza could face another famine as Israeli restrictions on incoming goods leave residents struggling to obtain food.

The latest deaths and the deepening food crisis highlight the deteriorating humanitarian conditions facing close to two million people in the shrinking enclave. With nearly two-thirds of Gaza under Israeli military control or subject to access restrictions, residents are unable to return to their homes while fresh food supplies have rapidly evaporated.

Casualties and Territorial Expansion

The deaths on Thursday included a young girl killed by Israeli gunfire in northern Gaza near the Jabalia refugee camp, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. A strike on a vehicle in Gaza City's Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood killed one person and seriously injured another, while a separate strike killed a man on a bicycle in the southern city of Khan Younis. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that a fourth person died on Thursday of wounds sustained earlier in an Israeli strike.

At least 1,538 Palestinians have been killed and 5,498 injured since the ceasefire took effect in October last year, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israeli troops have been expanding from northern Gaza inward toward the centre and westward, leaving most buildings in controlled areas in ruins.

Background and Escalating Crisis

Israel has killed more than 74,400 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023. The territory, littered with thousands of tonnes of rubble and debris, has seen its habitable area shrink steadily as Israeli forces take more land since the ceasefire began.

The food crisis has been renewed by Israeli border closures and severe funding shortfalls targeting international relief operations. After Israeli authorities suspended commercial goods deliveries to Gaza on October 13, they announced on October 19 that some imports would resume. However, the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said the decision brought little relief, as shipments remained heavily restricted and fresh fruits and vegetables were still denied entry.

Humanitarian Warnings and Aid Cuts

The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said on Thursday that its teams observed increasingly empty markets and soaring food prices, warning that Gaza could face another famine. The group accused Israel of deliberately depriving Palestinians of adequate nutrition.

The World Food Programme announced this week that severe funding shortages have forced it to slash food assistance to Gaza by one-third, leaving an estimated 500,000 vulnerable residents without essential monthly support as winter approaches. According to the United Nations, the supply of fresh food and basic staples has rapidly evaporated due to ongoing Israeli restrictions on commercial entry points and aid crossings.

Residents describe a sudden disappearance of basic sustenance, with one account noting that families went without breakfast until noon after hours of searching for bread and fresh vegetables. With no electricity or operational refrigeration across the enclave, households are unable to store fresh provisions even when available.

What Lies Ahead

The Israeli military continues to expand its control inside Gaza, with people unable to return to their homes in areas under Israeli control. The food crisis shows little sign of easing, as restricted shipments and funding shortfalls persist. Additional information on any further humanitarian measures or changes to import restrictions has not yet been officially confirmed.