Palestinians in the Gaza Strip will be celebrating another Eid Al Fitr amid the destruction, deaths and worsening humanitarian conditions due to the onslaught and the blockade imposed by the Israeli forces. Israeli attacks, which the Netanyahu government resumed on March 18 after weeks of a ceasefire, have killed at least 830 people in the war-battered territory. The overall death toll since the launch of Israeli offensive on October 7, 2023, stands at 50,183, according to the health ministry in Gaza. According to the UN, about 90 percent of Gaza’s population has been displaced at least once since the start of the war, while the renewed Israeli offensive has displaced 142,000 people in a mere seven days. A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said displacement orders currently cover some 17 percent of Gaza. With each wave of displacement, thousands of people “lose not just their shelter, but also access to essentials such as food, drinking water and health care,” said the spokesman, Stephane Dujarric. With Israel blocking entry of aid and having also cut the power supply to the strip, humanitarians have warned of a looming threat of famine in the territory. UNRWA said the Gaza Strip is on the verge of an unprecedented famine with Israeli occupation rejecting relief organisations’ endeavors to bring essential supplies into the enclave. Voicing alarm over the situation, a UNRWA spokesperson said there is a near-total collapse in all aspects of life in Gaza. The State of Qatar has said that Palestinian people are facing a real existential threat as a result of the war of extermination and ethnic cleansing waged by Israel, the occupying power. Speaking at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Qatar’s representative condemned the ratification of a law allowing settlers to own land and property in the occupied West Bank and the ratification of the separation of 13 illegal settlement neighborhoods in the occupied territory, paving the way for their legalisation as colonial settlements. It is extremely critical for all sides to the conflict, chiefly Israel, to return to the negotiating table, cease hostilities, allow unhindered access to humanitarian aid, and release all hostages and detainees. It is also vital to move towards the implementation of the Arab-Islamic plan for the reconstruction of Gaza.
