THE problem of acute malnutrition is increasing in the northern region of Palestine. Meanwhile, Israel is preparing to send a delegation to Qatar to hold new ceasefire talks regarding the hostage deal with Hamas.
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said one in three children under the age of two in the northern Gaza Strip now suffers from acute malnutrition. This puts greater pressure on Israel over the famine that occurred in the latest Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
On March 15, Israel said it would send a delegation to Qatar for further talks with mediators after Hamas submitted a new proposal for a ceasefire with an exchange of hostages and prisoners. “The delegation will be led by the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, David Barnea,” said a source familiar with the talks.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to convene a meeting of his security cabinet to discuss the proposal before talks begin. Netanyahu’s office said Hamas’ latest offer was still based on unrealistic demands.
For your information, efforts to reach a temporary ceasefire before the holy month of Ramadan began a week ago have failed. Israel said on March 15 it was planning a new offensive against the Hamas stronghold of Rafah, the last relatively safe city in Gaza after five months of war.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz voiced concern about the attack on Rafah. He said there was a danger the attacks would result in horrific civilian casualties.
Also read: Israel hits Rafah during ceasefire negotiations
On March 15, Netanyahu’s office said he had approved plans for an attack on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents had taken refuge, and that civilians would be evacuated. There is no time frame and no sign of preparation on the ground.
Hamas’ offer envisages dozens of Israeli hostages being freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli jails during a weeks-long ceasefire that would allow more aid into Gaza. Hamas has also called for negotiations at the next stage to end the war, but Israel says it is only willing to negotiate a temporary ceasefire.
Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Al-Jazeera that the group’s proposal was so realistic that no one could reject it and claimed that mediators had reacted positively. He said the agreement consisted of two phases with a complete cessation of aggression at the start of the second phase but was rejected by Israel which vowed to continue its goal of destroying Hamas after the ceasefire ended.
Also read: US wants a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, Hamas is reluctant
The families of the Israeli hostages and their supporters gathered again in Tel Aviv to press for a deal for their release. At the same time, anti-government protesters, estimated by Israeli media at several thousand, called for new elections and blocked roads in Tel Aviv.
Humanitarian crisis
The war began on October 7 when Hamas sent its fighters into Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 253 hostages, according to an Israeli tally. Israel’s ground and air campaign has killed more than 31,500 people, mostly women and children, according to health authorities in Hamas-ruled Gaza. Israel says it has killed at least 13,000 Hamas members.
The attacks have forced many residents to flee their homes. This left large areas in ruins and triggered a famine crisis.
Also read: China asks Israel to immediately leave Rafah
“Child malnutrition is spreading rapidly and reaching unprecedented levels in Gaza,” UNRWA said in a post on social media. Hospitals in Gaza reported that several children had died from malnutrition and dehydration.
Later, Palestinian media said aid trucks had reached the northern Gaza areas of Jabalia, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya for the first time in four months. The 13 trucks carrying flour arrived at the UNWRA facility, according to reports.
Western countries have called on Israel to do more to allow aid in. The UN says they face major obstacles, including border closures, difficult checks and unrest in Gaza.
Also read: Saudi Warns of Humanitarian Disaster if Israel Deports Palestinian Rafah Residents
Israel says it is not limiting humanitarian aid to Gaza and blames the slow delivery of aid on a lack of capacity or inefficiency among UN agencies. The first maritime aid shipment to Gaza by World Central Kitchen, using a new route via Cyprus, arrived on 15 March.
“The second cargo of food aid is ready to depart,” said Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides. The US and Jordan have airdropped humanitarian aid.
Queen Rania of Jordan said that the air aid was actually just a drop in the ocean of unmet needs and accused Israel of cutting off everything necessary to sustain human life such as food, fuel, medicine, water. (Straitstimes/Z-2)
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