Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan announced on Monday that the number of Palestinians martyred by Israeli attacks targeting civilians seeking humanitarian aid in Gaza has reached 1,487, with more than 10,000 others injured.

He described the attacks as part of Israel’s deliberate starvation policy against the besieged population.

Speaking in a press statement, Hamdan revealed that 96% of Gaza’s families are now facing severe food insecurity, a figure he said underscores the deepening humanitarian disaster. He stressed that acute shortages of infant formula and essential medical supplies have made the situation catastrophic, with malnutrition spreading rapidly among children.

Hamdan further disclosed that 22,000 aid trucks remain stranded at border crossings, as Israeli authorities continue to block their entry. He condemned these restrictions as a systematic policy aimed at subjugating Gaza’s population through hunger and deprivation.

Calling on the international community to act, Hamdan urged urgent intervention to end what he described as an “escalating humanitarian catastrophe.”

Since October 7, 2023, Israel — with full US support — has waged a relentless military campaign on Gaza, involving mass killings, destruction, and forced displacement. The campaign has been carried out despite repeated international appeals and binding orders from the International Court of Justice to halt the assault.

According to Palestinian health authorities, the genocide has resulted in over 209,000 Palestinians killed or wounded, most of them women and children. More than 9,000 remain missing under the rubble, while famine continues to claim lives daily. Hundreds of thousands have been displaced, and much of Gaza’s cities and infrastructure have been reduced to rubble.

Hamdan reiterated that the ongoing crisis is a direct result of Israel’s deliberate policies, warning that unless aid is allowed to flow freely and military attacks cease, the humanitarian situation will deteriorate further. (ILKHA)