Over 100 aid groups warn of starvation in Gaza as Israeli strikes kill 21

More than 100 charity and human rights groups said Wednesday that Israelrsquos blockade and ongoing military offensive are pushing Palestinians in the Gaza Strip toward starvation as Israeli strikes killed another 21 people overnight according to local health officialsThe Trump administrationrsquos Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff was meanwhile set to meet with a senior Israeli official about ceasefire talks a sign that lowerlevel negotiations that have dragged on for weeks could be approaching a breakthroughExperts say Gaza is at risk of famine because of Israelrsquos blockade and offensive launched in response to Hamasrsquo Oct 7 2023 attack Israel says it allows enough aid into the territory and faults delivery efforts by UN agencies which say they are hindered by Israeli restrictions and the breakdown of securityHamas has said it will only release the remaining 50 hostages it holds around 20 of them believed to be alive in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal while Israel has vowed to recover all the captives and continue the war until Hamas has been defeated or disarmedlsquoChaos starvation and deathrsquoIn an open letter 115 organizations including major international aid groups like Doctors Without Borders Mercy Corps and Save the Children said they were watching their own colleagues as well as the Palestinians they serve ldquowaste awayrdquoIt blamed Israeli restrictions and ldquomassacresrdquo at aid distribution points Witnesses health officials and the UN human rights office say Israeli forces have repeatedly fired on crowds seeking aid killing more than 1000 people Israel says its forces have only fired warning shots and that the death toll is exaggeratedldquoThe government of Israelrsquos restrictions delays and fragmentation under its total siege have created chaos starvation and deathrdquo the letter saidIsraelrsquos Foreign Ministry rejected the criticism and accused the groups of ldquoechoing Hamasrsquo propagandardquo It said it has allowed around 4500 aid trucks to enter Gaza since lifting a complete blockade in May and that more than 700 are waiting to be picked up and distributed by the United NationsThatrsquos an average of around 70 trucks a day the lowest rate of the war and far below the 500600 trucks a day the UN says are needed and which entered during a sixweek ceasefire earlier this yearThe UN says it has struggled to deliver aid inside Gaza because of Israeli military restrictions ongoing fighting and a breakdown of law and order An alternative system established by Israel and an American contractor has been marred by violence and controversyTop adviser to Netanyahu will meet US envoy in RomeAn official familiar with ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas said Ron Dermer a top adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was travelling to Rome to meet Witkoff on Thursday to discuss the state of the talksThe official spoke Wednesday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive negotiationsUS officials said Witkoff planned to head to Europe this week The State Department spokesperson said he was headed to the Middle East in a sign that momentum may be building toward a dealThe evolving deal which is still being hammered out is expected to include a 60day ceasefire in which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others in phases in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel Aid supplies would be ramped up and the two sides would hold negotiations on a lasting truceOvernight strikes kill at least 21Israel has continued to carry out waves of daily airstrikes against what it says are militant targets but which often kill women and children Israel blames civilian deaths on Hamas because the militants operate in densely populated areasStrikes overnight and into Wednesday killed at least 21 people more than half of them women and children according to local health officialsOne of the strikes hit a house in Gaza City killing at least 12 people according to Shifa Hospital which received the casualties The dead included six children and two women according to Gazarsquos Health Ministry The Israeli military said it struck an Islamic Jihad militant and that the incident was under review because of reports of civilian casualtiesAnother strike hit an apartment in northern Gaza killing at least six people Among the dead were three children and two women including one who was pregnant Eight others were wounded the ministry said A third strike hit a tent in Gaza City late Tuesday and killed three children Shifa Hospital saidThere was no immediate comment from the military on those strikesHamasled militants abducted 251 people in the Oct 7 attack and killed around 1200 people mostly civiliansMore than 59000 Palestinians have been killed during the war according to Gazarsquos Health Ministry Its count doesnrsquot distinguish between militants and civilians but the ministry says that more than half of the dead are women and children The UN and other international organizations see it as the most reliable source of data on casualties