Two people killed near aid site in southern Gaza; today’s death toll at 26
Our colleagues at Al Jazeera Arabic report that Israeli forces have shot and killed two people seeking aid near a distribution site in southern Gaza run by the Israel- and US-backed GHF.
Three more people die of malnutrition: Gaza Health Ministry official
Munir al-Barsh, director general of the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza, has reported three more malnutrition deaths in Gaza, according to Al Jazeera’s reporters in the enclave.
That brings the total hunger-related deaths in Gaza to 266, including 122 children, according to the ministry.
Aid workers ‘deliberately targeted’: PRCS chief
Younis al-Khatib, president of the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), has said in a video posted on X: “The Palestinian humanitarian mission and aid workers have been deliberately targeted in Palestine. More than any other war, Palestinian humanitarians have been killed.
“No state should enjoy impunity. No state should be above the law. The international community is obliged to protect humanitarians and to stop and to ensure protection for humanity.”
The PRCS also called on the international community to “take concrete action to protect humanitarians everywhere”.
Earlier, we reported UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini paid tribute to the agency’s staff in Gaza who have been killed, injured or detained during the war.
He said about 360 of the agency’s staff have been killed, including several while on duty, while about 50 personnel have been arrested or detained, with some suffering torture while in custody.
51 PRCS staff and volunteers have been killed as of August 3rd.
https://www.ifrc.org/press-release/ifrc-condemns-attack-palestine-red-crescent-headquarters-khan-younis-and-killing
1,600 workers and volunteers, 3.2% of their work force killed.
https://www.redcross.org.uk/stories/disasters-and-emergencies/world/whats-happening-in-gaza-humanitarian-crisis-grows
Israel simply targets everything and everyone indiscriminately. The only real outlier are journalists that get 'special treatment'. Aid workers are at higher risk from double tap 'strategy'. Bomb and then strike again when people come to help.
https://www.972mag.com/double-tap-israel-gaza-airstrikes-rescue/
And of course the genocidal campaign is about dismantling any possibility to be able to survive in Gaza, hence targeting healthcare, hospitals, ambulances etc.
Gaza Health Ministry warns of critical blood bank shortages
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza has warned of severe shortages in laboratory materials and blood bank supplies, saying the ability to conduct many essential tests is dwindling or has already ended.
In a news release, the ministry said 49 percent of laboratory testing materials are out of stock while 60 percent of the remaining basic materials will last less than a month. More than half of laboratory consumables and supplies are also expected to run out within weeks.
The ministry said many basic tests in operating rooms and intensive care units “have run out or are about to run out”. Materials needed to test blood drug levels for kidney and liver transplant patients “have run out”, it added.
Testing materials for complete blood counts are “sufficient for only a limited number of days”. Supplies for viral blood testing, including HBsAg, HCV and HIV, are also expected to last only days, raising “a risk of unsafe blood transfusions”.
The statement added that about 45 percent of laboratory equipment has been damaged or destroyed and is in urgent need of maintenance and spare parts.
