At least 29 children and an older adult have died of starvation in Gaza in the past two days, the Palestinian Authority's health minister said. At least 52 people have been killed by Israeli military strikes in the same period.
The announcement of the starvation deaths in Gaza comes as food aid is expected to reach the Palestinians this week, following international pressure on Israel to ease its nearly three-month-long blockade and halt its expanded military operations.
Jens Lerke, spokesman for the UN's humanitarian agency (OCHA), said on Thursday that about 90 of the 200 trucks had entered Gaza. They were carrying medicine, wheat flour, and food supplies. Lerke said aid groups were facing serious obstacles due to security threats, the risk of looting, and coordination problems with Israeli authorities.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Red Crescent said on Thursday that Palestinians in Gaza had not yet received the aid shipments that had crossed the border. They also noted that sending so few trucks was an "invitation to murder" because it could spark sectarian violence.
