Scenes of horror are repeating once again in the besieged Gaza, where civilians desperately seeking food and basic necessities have become targets of deadly attacks. The latest incident adds to the growing list of tragedies affecting the helpless population.
Israeli forces have killed at least 94 Palestinians in new attacks in Gaza, including 45 who were waiting for desperately needed humanitarian aid, according to Palestinian health officials. Among the victims were also people who were in a cafe that was hit by an Israeli airstrike.
The attack took place in an area where Palestinian civilians had gathered around a place for the distribution of humanitarian aid, trying to obtain basic necessities for survival. The war has killed over 56.000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters.
This latest incident is part of a worrying pattern of attacks on places where humanitarian aid is distributed. More than 400 people have been killed and 1.000 wounded by Israeli soldiers since the distribution of aid began. The director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) office, Philippe Lazzarini, warned that the aid distribution system in Gaza is “catastrophic.”
Witnesses describe scenes of apocalypse, civilians trying to obtain food and basic necessities becoming targets of fire from tanks, machine guns, and drones. Israeli troops have killed at least 70 Palestinians and wounded hundreds while they were seeking aid in Gaza, shooting at them with nearly all available means.
Particularly alarming is that the attacks are happening in places that are supposed to be safe for humanitarian aid. An investigation into the deadly incident near a place for aid distribution in southern Gaza shows that the Israeli army opened fire on crowds of Palestinians as they tried to reach the fence to get food.
The media directorate of the Gaza government announced that the total number of those killed while waiting for aid has reached 409 people and 3.203 wounded. These numbers represent only a part of the horror happening in the enclave, where nearly the entire population of 2.3 million people is displaced and facing a hunger crisis.
The international community has expressed concern, but concrete steps to protect civilians remain limited. UNICEF has warned that Gaza is under threat of an “artificial drought” because its water systems have been destroyed, making survival even more difficult for the population.
While diplomatic efforts to achieve a ceasefire continue, civilians in Gaza continue to pay the highest price.
Day by day, humanity witnesses and becomes increasingly aware of the crimes and injustices the Palestinian people have been experiencing for the past seventy-seven years. Day by day, social media echoes with the outraged voices of citizens from all corners of the planet. With unanswered questions.
How many more tragedies must happen before a way is found to permanently stop this cycle of violence?
How many UN analyses, reports from the international community, expressions of concern from UNICEF, warnings, diplomatic negotiations, political chatter – how many more killed and mutilated children, how many grieving mothers, how many more waiting for help in the fight against disease and hunger, how many more murdered Palestinians are needed to stop the horror of inhumanity and bloodshed?
How many more tragedies must happen before a way is found to permanently stop this cycle of violence?
