Tel Aviv [Israel], July 31: UN agencies have warned that the Gaza Strip is facing a large-scale famine and urgently needs to increase food aid deliveries into the enclave, AFP reported on July 30.
Israel has recently begun to pause fighting in some areas to allow aid to be delivered, but the number is believed to be insufficient. Meanwhile, the death toll from the fighting has now passed 60,000, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip . Israel has not commented on the figure.
Faced with a humanitarian emergency, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that he would recognize the State of Palestine in September if Israel did not act to end the fighting in Gaza. A British government representative yesterday said that this was not a reward for Hamas but for the Palestinian people and "the children who are starving to death in Gaza". Previously, French President Emmanuel Macron also announced a similar move and deadline, causing a strong reaction from Israel and the US. After a conference to restore the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine in New York (USA) on July 29, the foreign ministers of 15 Western countries issued a joint statement calling on the international community to recognize the State of Palestine . In addition, many countries also called on Hamas to give up its weapons and end its rule in Gaza to end the devastating conflict.
Israeli leaders have blamed Hamas for the deadlock in talks amid media reports that the government is considering annexing parts of Gaza. However, Haaretz newspaper quoted a minister as denying the reports yesterday, saying the leaks were intended to pressure Hamas to soften its demands for a hostage deal and ceasefire.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
